Socialization, Risk Interpretation, Race, and Fear of Rape Among College Women

• In Event: Roundtable: Offending and Victimization in Schools: Risk Factors and Theory

Abstract

Given the prevalence of sexual assault against women, the indirect cost of fear of rape on women’s lives warrants greater attention. We report on original survey data collected between 2017 and 2019 from undergraduate women on two campuses in the same metropolitan area, one a historically Black college/university and the other a predominately White institution. Using ordinal logistic regression, we examine the impact of danger messages women receive about safety and victimization from parents, the media, and official sources; perceptions of risk and harm associated with males, the landscape, and surrounding social environment; and victimization experiences on fear of acquaintance rape, stranger rape, and fear of male students separately by race. Implications for socialization and risk interpretation theories of fear of rape and campus policies are considered.

Authors

• Marion Hughes, Towson University

• Jennifer J. Langdon, Towson University

• Douglas W. Pryor, Towson University