This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 1557085109345462v1 4/4/359    most recent References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Callanan, V. J. Articles by Teasdale, B. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

An Exploration of Gender Differences in Measurement of Fear of Crime

University of Akron, OH, vcallana{at}uakron.edu

Brent Teasdale

Georgia State University, Atlanta

Most studies that investigate differences in fear of crime between men and women assume measurement invariance. This study explores gender differences in two different scales that measure fear of crime—a four-item factor from a survey of 1,918 southern Californians and an eight-item factor from a statewide survey of 4,245 Californians. Measurement invariance of these factors is assessed with two structural equations modeling techniques—a two-groups confirmatory factor analysis and a test for differential item function. Significant gender differences are found in the measurement of fear of crime. These are explained by the presence of items that measure fear of crimes with the potential for physical harm, particularly sexual assault. The findings suggest that gender differences in fear of crime may be overestimated by a factor of two if differential item function is ignored.

Key Words: fear of crime • gender • measurement invariance

This version was published on October 1, 2009

Feminist Criminology, Vol. 4, No. 4, 359-376 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1557085109345462


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?