TY - JOUR
T1 - Trends in female violence, 1960–1977
AU - Steffensmeier, Darrell J.
AU - Steffensmeier, Renee Hoffman
AU - Rosenthal, Alvin S.
N1 - Funding Information:
*We would like to thank Diane B. Arnkoff for helpful suggestions with respect to an earlier draft of this paper and the College of Liberal Arts of The Pennsylvania State University for financial assistance.
Copyright:
Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1979/8
Y1 - 1979/8
N2 - This paper examines the issue of whether levels of female violent crime are rising. Two differing viewpoints, both using the Uniform Crime Reports as their principal data source, are compared. Both viewpoints suffer because of a failure to specify the major questions on female violent crime and because of inappropriate usage of UCR arrest statistics. The central questions about female violent crime are clarified, and arrest rates are computed to determine whether there has been any change in levels of female violent crime since 1960. The effects of the women's movement on female violent crime are also examined. The conclusion is that female levels of violence are rising, but male levels are increasing at an equal pace. The pattern of the data suggests that the upward trend in female violence, which now appears to be leveling off, is not due to the women's movement or to the changing status of women in the United States. Instead it appears that common social forces are operating to affect levels of violence for both sexes.
AB - This paper examines the issue of whether levels of female violent crime are rising. Two differing viewpoints, both using the Uniform Crime Reports as their principal data source, are compared. Both viewpoints suffer because of a failure to specify the major questions on female violent crime and because of inappropriate usage of UCR arrest statistics. The central questions about female violent crime are clarified, and arrest rates are computed to determine whether there has been any change in levels of female violent crime since 1960. The effects of the women's movement on female violent crime are also examined. The conclusion is that female levels of violence are rising, but male levels are increasing at an equal pace. The pattern of the data suggests that the upward trend in female violence, which now appears to be leveling off, is not due to the women's movement or to the changing status of women in the United States. Instead it appears that common social forces are operating to affect levels of violence for both sexes.
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U2 - 10.1080/00380237.1979.10570348
DO - 10.1080/00380237.1979.10570348
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84996211560
SN - 0038-0237
VL - 12
SP - 217
EP - 227
JO - Sociological Focus
JF - Sociological Focus
IS - 3
ER -