Sexual Assault of College Women: A Feminist Interpretation of a Routine Activities Analysis

• NCJ Number: 197749
• Journal: Criminal Justice Review Volume: 27 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2002 Pages: 89-123
• Author(s): Elizabeth Ehrhardt Mustaine; Richard Tewksbury
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 35 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article examines the sexual assault of college women within the context of feminism and routine activity theory.

Abstract

Research using feminist perspectives suggests that there are such high levels of sexual assault against women because there is a patriarchal, rape-supportive culture in the United States. Routine activity theory is one perspective that addresses the differential risks for victimization among individuals by examining lifestyle. It focuses on the idea that crime is not a random occurrence in society but follows regular patterns regarding situation and place. This theory can be used to highlight why some women have higher risks of sexual assault than others. Female college students are among the most common victims of sexual assault. A routine activity theory approach to understanding this risk focuses on identifying activities and lifestyle factors that are associated with increased exposure to motivated offenders or male social peer groups, heightened perceptions of the woman as a suitable or vulnerable victim, and a minimization of effective guardianship. This study examined the factors relating to sexual assault for female college students. Data came from self-administered surveys collected during the fall 1998 academic term. A total of 1,196 college students in 12 southern institutions in 8 States completed the survey. The findings suggest that on college campuses the sexual assault victimization risks of these women were influenced primarily by their proximity, or the amount of exposure that they had, to rape-supportive male peer groups. Being a member of a greater number of clubs, going out at night for leisure, and using drugs a greater proportion of time in public all increased these female college students’ risks for being victims of sexual assault. No significance was found among variables usually found to be important influences over female sexual assault victimization risks, such as the use of alcohol, membership in a Greek social organization, and demographic characteristics. 5 tables, 10 footnotes, 95 references