Use and consequences of women's safety strategies and the effect of environmental factors on fear of street crime

Abstract

Within New Zealand, national crime related surveys have consistently illustrated that fear of crime is a real problem, contributing to restriction of movement and the adoption of safety precautions outside the home. Moreover these surveys and others worldwide have shown that it is women who are consistently the most fearful of crime in public space and are taking safety precautions. On the basis that being female is the strongest predictor for fear of crime, the goal of this research was to explore women's fear of crime in public space and attempt to establish both environmental contributions to this fear and the implications of taking precautions on the street. The fear levels of seventy-five young university women were investigated using a questionnaire about their experiences in public pathways. Interviews on safety behaviour were also employed to provide a more in-depth understanding of women's fear and use of precaution. The major questionnaire findings indicate that university women lead a lifestyle that increases exposure to street crime and they fear rape/sexual assault over other crimes. Both avoidance and precautionary strategies are used in union, and the incivilities, design, and surveillance of a pathway contribute to a woman's fear of pathways at night. The interview study highlighted women's perception of their vulnerability to victimisation, their struggle between the need to appear unconcerned and be safety conscious at the same time, and also the automation of precautionary behaviour in their lives. The results have implications for several organizations, in particular city planners could use the information on environmental factors contributing to women's fear as a source for design improvements, while self-defence and safety programs would benefit from the findings on what safety behaviour women adopt. Finally this research provides evidence that fear of victimisation is a concern for the well-being of women and merits serious attention.