NCJ Number
238152
Journal
Criminology Volume: 50 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2012 Pages: 105-144
Date Published
February 2012
Length
40 pages
Annotation
This article examines the impact of women's status on rates of violence against women using longitudinal data from the National Crime Survey and National Crime Victimization Survey for 40 U.S. metropolitan areas for the period 1980 to 2004.
Abstract
Drawing on feminist and routine activities perspectives, the study specifies hypotheses about the association between women's status and violent victimization, some of which predict different effects depending on whether the offender is a stranger, intimate, or known (nonintimate) other. Consistent with feminist and other perspectives, the study finds that absolute increases in women's labor force participation, income, and education are associated with decreases in intimate partner violence. The findings also provide limited support for the backlash hypothesis by showing that increases in female labor participation relative to men are associated with increases in intimate partner violence but not with increases in violence by others. Consistent with routine activities theory, the data also indicate that absolute increases in female labor force participation are associated with increases in victimization by strangers and by known others. Furthermore, the study finds that absolute increases in female voter participation are associated with decreases in violence for all victim-offender relationship categories. The findings thus show that changes in the status of women have both positive and negative associations with violence victimization, and that comparative analyses of different types of violence are necessary for clarifying the sources of violence against women. (Published Abstract)