Women who are stalked: questioning the fear standard.
The authors use logistic regression with the National Violence Against Women Survey sample (N = 8,000) to explore patterns in fear reported by women who were stalked. One fourth of our sample felt no fear, with Black women significantly less likely to report fear (compared to White women). Women who were frequently stalked, stalked by an intimate or family member or acquaintance, or stalked by physical or communicative means reported feeling fearful more than did others. Requiring a woman to feel fearful before accepting her experience as an instance of stalking risks, the authors conclude, a miscarriage of justice, an undercount of the crime, and an abandonment of women (and others) who need validation from the state and protection from stalkers.
Dietz
Noella A
NA
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, FL, USA.
Martin
Patricia Yancey
PY
D000328:Adult; D018585:Battered Women / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003380:Courtship; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009770:Obsessive Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D013179:Spouse Abuse; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health