Access Type

Open Access Dissertation

Date of Award

January 2016

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

David Merolla

Abstract

This research examines the gender gap in crime and how gendered spaces play a role in decreasing this gap. The gender gap in crime explains that men and women experience victimization at different rates. Gendered spaces are spaces in society that are designated for men and women. Routine activity theory and gendered spaces are two theoretical perspectives used in the study to examine how gender influences the routine activities of people and how this in turn creates gendered spaces and subsequent victimization based on perceptions an offender has of a women or men. This study utilizes secondary data from the 2012 National Incident-Based Reporting System. The sample size in the study consisted of 243,096 crime victims. Routine activity theory and gendered spaces partially explains the victimization experiences of men and women. Women were more likely to be victimized in feminine gendered spaces (e.g., banks, grocery stores, and shopping centers) compared to other locations. Women were also more likely to suffering a robbery victimization in these feminine spaces compared to other locations. Women were also more likely to be victimized by a stranger in feminine gendered spaces compared to other locations.

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