Gender Differences In The Fear Of Crime Victimization And Precautionary Behaviours

Abstract

This quantitative study was conducted to explore the gender differences in the fear of crime victimization and associated precautionary behaviours. A questionnaire was designed and administered on 180 students of public and private universities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Data analyzed in SPSS showed a significant difference in the responses of males and females where females were more worried and felt more unsafe about being a victim of a crime than males. More females observed precautionary behaviours to avoid being a victim of a crime in relation to the males. The females were fearful of crime related to use of public transport, sexual and gender based attack whereas males feared verbal abuse by strangers or acquaintances. It was discussed that females, being members of a marginalized and vulnerable group, may consider themselves as potential victims to crimes, and therefore exhibit a high fear of crime along with higher incidence of precautionary behaviour. Furthermore, in the patriarchal structure of the Pakistani society, the socio-cultural norms and traditional gender role socialization teach the boys to be dominant, risk-takers and fearless and the girls to be submissive, risk avoiding and fearful which tends to restrict the mobility and freedom of females.