Violence against Women outside the Ivory Tower: Exploring Victimization Experiences of College and non-College Women

• In Event: Innovative Uses of the NCVS to Study and Measure Violence

Abstract

Over the past 25 years, our understanding about violence against college women has greatly expanded, but this interest has largely failed to expand beyond the collegiate experience. This work is needed for two primary reasons. First, a better understanding of violence against all young adult women is important as researchers across disciplines and policymakers overall are devoting greater attention to issues concerning “emerging adulthood” (typically defined as ages 18-29). Second, such a comparison allows identification of the similarities and difference in victimization risk and experiences faced by college and non-college women. One reason for the limited focus in this area is due to the tendency of studies to include only samples of college women. To study this issue, we use the NCVS as it permits identification of college and non-college women and its sample size allows identification of violent victimization for both of these categories of young adult women. Using the NCVS, we examine patterns and correlates of violent victimization against college and non-college women. We discuss our findings in the context of improving measures of college status and violence as well as policy implications.

Authors

• Lynn Addington, American University

• Callie Marie Rennison, University of Colorado, Denver