Sorority Safety Practices and Fear of Crime

• In Event: Fear and Perceptions of Crime in Educational Institutions

Abstract

Criminological research focuses on safety practices to prevent victimization and fear of crime among women; however, less is known about sorority women’s experiences specifically. Sororities, known for having a higher risk of sexual assault and access to risky environments, are often the target audience for college victimization prevention and safety precaution campaigns. Such prevention efforts emphasize strategies to prevent stranger perpetrated sexual assaults, an unlikely sexual assault scenario for most sorority women. Victim prevention materials may increase fear of crime among sorority women. For our study, we interview college sorority women about their experiences with safety and victim prevention and the role that their sorority plays in decision-making about safety. Preliminary results suggest that sorority women face unique challenges when making decisions about safety and that these vary by sorority. Further, results suggest that rather than manage their safety and concerns about safety using official resources (e.g., victim prevention programming, policing agencies, or university organizations), they are more likely to rely on each other, managing safety risk and concerns informally through their social networks and sorority sisters.

Authors

• Nicole Rader, Mississippi State University

• Madeline Brock, Mississippi State University