The Effects of Gender Inequality and Routine Activities on Stalking Victimization

Abstract

Stalking has been a growing concern in criminology over the past few decades. This area needs more theoretical development. Two important theoretical perspectives are gender inequality and routine activities theory. So far, these perspectives have not been combined in research. This study seeks to improve research on stalking by integrating these two theories. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship that economic ability and routine activities have on a woman’s risk of being stalked, as well as whether economic ability and routine activities can predict whether a victim can successfully change their routine activities and prevent future stalking events. Although the primary focus of this study is female victims, a comparative analysis between male and female victims is also performed. The data used for this study are the 2006 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and its Supplemental Victimization Survey (SVS), which focuses on detailing aspects of respondents’ stalking victimizations.