Abstract
This paper examines women's perceptions of fear and their consequent impact on women's experience and use of public space in Singapore. It argues that even in a city ranked as one of the safest in the world, women experience greater levels of fear of crime and that this fear is qualitatively different from men's as it is largely centred on a fear of rape. It identifies the various sources of ‘fear’ information which play a part in the construction of images of danger, including personal victimisation experiences, socialisation, the mass media and interpersonal communication. It argues that fear is place- and time-specific and that women's feelings of personal vulnerability is manifested within an environmental context. In examining the consequences of fear on women's lives, the study concludes that risk management behaviour was more prevalent than avoidance tactics. It argues that while many restrictions appear self-imposed by women themselves, the fear of crime in public places ultimately contributes to the perpetuation of what has been termed a ‘spatial expression of patriarchy’.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Biderman, A. D.; Johnson, L.; McIntyre, J.; Weir A.: Report on a Pilot Study in the District of Columbia on Victimization and Attitude toward Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice. US Government Printing Office, Washington DC 1967.
Chang, H. Y.: Crime in Singapore: A statistical comparison with major cities. Statistics Singapore Newsletter 17(2), 2–6 (1994).
Clemente, F.; Kleiman, M.: Fear of crime in the United States: A multivariate analysis. Social Forces 56(2), 591–531 (1977).
Cobb, S.: Support as a moderator of life stress. Psychosomatic Medicine 38, 300–314 (1976).
Currie, D. H.: Women's safety on campus: Challenging the University as gendered space. Humanity & Society 18(3), 24–48 (1994).
Dear, M.; Wolch, J.: How territory shapes social life. In: Wolch, J.; Dear, M. (eds.), The Power of Geography, pp. 3–18. Unwin Hyman, Boston 1989.
DuBow, F.; McCabe, E.; Kaplan, G.: Reactions to crime: A Critical Review of the Literature. National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, US Department of Justice, Washington DC 1979.
England, K. V. L.: Gender relations and the spatial structure of the city. Geoforum 22(2), 135–147 (1991).
Franck, K. A.; Paxson, L.: Women and urban public space: Research, design, and policy issues. In: Altman, I.; Zube, E. H. (ed.), Public Place and Space, pp. 121–146. Plenum Press, New York 1989.
Garofalo, J.: The fear of crime: Causes and consequences. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 72(2), 839–857 (1981).
Garofalo, J.; Laub, L.: The fear of crime: Broadening our perspective. Victimology 3(3–4), 242–253 (1981).
Gerbner, G.; Gross, L.: Living with television: The violence profile. Journal of Communication 26, 172–199 (1976).
Gordon, M. T., Riger, S., LeBailly, R. K., Heath, L.: Crime, women and the quality of urban life. Signs 5(3), 144–160 (1980).
Griffin, S.: Rape: The politics of consciousness. University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1986.
Gunter, B.: Television and the Fear of Crime. John Libbey, London 1987.
Lagrange, R.; Ferraro, K.: Assessing age and gender differences in perceived risk and fear of crime. Criminology 24(4), 697–719 (1989).
Lejeune, R.; Alex, N.: On being mugged: The event and its aftermath. Urban Life and Culture, 2, 259–287 (1973).
Lewis, D.; Maxfield, M. G.: Fear in the neighbourhoods: An investigation of the impact of crime. Journal of Research on Crime and Delinquency 17, 160–179 (1980).
Little, J.: Gender, Planning and the Policy Process. Pergamon, Oxford 1994.
Loke, W. H.: Living in one of the safest cities in the world. Police Life Annual, 76–82 (1994).
MacKenzie, S.: Women in the city. In: Peet, R.; Thrift, N. (eds.), New Models in Geography, Vol. II, pp. 109–126. Unwin Hyman, London 1989.
Markson, E. W.; Hess, B. B.: Older women in the city. Signs 5, 127–141 (1980).
McDaniel, P.: Self-defense training and women's fear of crime. Women's Studies International Forum 16(1), 37–45 (1993).
McDowell, L.: Towards an understanding of the gender division of urban space. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 1, 59–72 (1983).
McDowell, L.: Doing gender: Feminism, feminists and research methods in human geography. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers (New Series) 17(4), 399–416 (1992).
Miller, R.: The hoover in the garden: Middle-class women and suburbanization, 1850–1920. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 1, 73–87 (1983).
Monk, J.: Gender in the landscape: Expressions of power and meaning. In: Anderson, K.; Gale, F. (eds.), Inventing Places: Studies in Cultural Geography, pp. 123–138. Longman Cheshire, Melbourne 1992.
Pain, R.: Space, sexual violence and social control: Integrating geographical and feminist analyses of women's fear of crime. Progress in Human Geography 15(4), 415–431 (1991).
Riger, S.; Gordon, M. T.: The fear of rape: A study in social control. Journal of Social Issues 37, 71–93 (1981).
Riger, S.; Gordon, M. T.: Coping with urban crime: Women's use of precautionary behaviors. American Journal of Community Psychology 10(4), 369–385 (1982).
Roshier, B.: The selection of crime news in the press. In: Cohen, S.; Young, J. (eds.), The Manufacture of News: Social Problems, Deviance and the Mass Media, pp. 28–39. Constable, London 1973.
Saegert, S.: Masculine cities and feminine suburbs: Polarised ideas, contradictory realities. Signs 5(3), 96–111 (1980).
Silverman, D.: Qualitative Methodology and Sociology. Gower, Aldershot 1985.
Skogan, W. G.; Maxfield, M. G.: Coping with Crime. Sage, London 1981.
Smith, S. J.: Crime in the news. British Journal of Criminology 24(3), 289–293 (1984).
Smith, S. J.: News and the dissemination of fear. In: Burgess, J.; Gold, J. R. (eds.), Geography, the Media and Popular Culture, pp. 229–253. St Martin's Press, New York 1985.
Smith, S. J.: Fear of crime: Beyond a geography of deviance. Progress in Human Geography 11(1), 1–23 (1987).
The Straits Times, Singapore.
Urry, J.: Localities, regions and social class. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 5(4), 455–473 (1981).
Valentine, G.: The geography of women's fear. Area 21, 385–390 (1989).
Valentine, G.: Images of danger: Women's sources of Information about the spatial distribution of male violence. Area 24, 1–4 (1992).
Ward, C.; Inserto, F.: Victims of sexual violence: A handbook for helpers. Singapore University Press, Singapore 1990.
Warr, M.: Fear of victimisation: Why are women and the elderly more afraid? Social Science Quarterly 65, 691–702 (1984).
Warr, M.: Fear of rape among urban women. Social Problems 32, 238–250 (1985).
Warr, M.; Stafford, M.: Fear of victimisation: A look at the proximate causes. Social Forces 61(4), 1033–1043 (1983).
Weisman, L. K.: Discrimination by design: A feminist critique of the man-made environment. University of Illinois Press, Urbana.
Yeoh, B. S. A.; Yeow, P. L.: Women's landscape of fear?: Safety in the design of public housing estates in Singapore. Asian Profile 24(6), 481–491 (1997).
Yin, P.: Fear of crime among the elderly: Some issues and suggestions. Social Problems 27, 492–504 (1980).
Yin, P.: Fear of crime as a problem for the elderly. Social Problems 30, 240–245 (1982).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yeoh, B.S.A., Yeow, P.L. Where women fear to tread: Images of danger and the effects of fear of crime in Singapore. GeoJournal 43, 273–286 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006817400224
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006817400224