NCJ Number
235459
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 51 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2011 Pages: 635-651
Date Published
July 2011
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This article examines concerns about alcohol consumption and safety advice for young women.
Abstract
Concern about the increase in alcohol consumption amongst young women, drink spiking and drug-assisted sexual assault have culminated in a renewed focus on safety advice for young women. This paper examines young women's responses to safety advice, and their associated safety behaviors, by drawing upon interview and focus group data from a qualitative study with 35 young women (18-25 years) in relation to their safety in bars, pubs and clubs. The findings reveal that young women's behaviors were complex and contradictory in that they resisted, adopted and transgressed recommended safety behaviors. This raises interesting questions about both the practical and the theoretical implications of contemporary safety campaigns, challenging the prevailing focus on women's behavior and the gendered discourse invoked by such campaigns. (Published Abstract)