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Gender, Racial Threat, and Perceived Risk in an Urban University Setting
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Gender, Racial Threat, and Perceived Risk in an Urban University Setting

Shannon K. Jacobsen, Jody Miller and Ntasha Bhardwaj
The journal of research in crime and delinquency, v 57(5), pp 612-639
01 Aug 2020

Abstract

Criminology & Penology Social Sciences
Objectives: We provide new insights about the role of gender, race, and place in perceived risk and fear of crime and discuss the possible boundaries of the shadow of sexual assault thesis, which attributes women's higher levels of fear to their underlying fear of rape across a variety of ecological contexts. Method: Analyses are based on data from in-depth qualitative interviews with 34 undergraduates attending a diverse urban university in a highly disadvantaged community in the northeast. Purposive and theoretical sampling strategies were used, and thematic saturation was achieved. Results: We find striking gender similarities in students' perceptions of risk and fear of crime in this particular context. Specifically, both women and men drew on their perceptions of disorder in the community when defining the threat of victimization, which they believed was robbery committed by the city's African American male residents. Conclusions: The gendered shadow of sexual assault was surprisingly absent from students' discussions, suggesting that it may not be as universal across context as previous research suggests. We argue that microlevel contexts and methodological factors may shape the shadow's presence, nature, and strength in gendered fear and perceived risk.

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5 citations in Scopus

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#16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Criminology & Penology
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