The Female Fear: The Social Cost of Rape [Paperback]

Margaret T Gordon (Author), Stephanie Riger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1991

The authors examine the female fear of rape, probe the myths and realities of rape and society's response, and explore strategies women have developed to protect themselves from its horrifying occurrence.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Most urban women suffer from a fear of rape, which is compounded by sexual taboos about discussing it, antiquated rape laws and a male-dominated court system, according to Gordon, a consultant on rape prevention who teaches journalism at Northwestern University, and Riger, associate professor of psychology at Lake Forrest College in Illinois. This significant, comprehensive study, spurred by the past decade's sizable increase in rapes, is based on interviews and telephone surveys of hundreds of men and women. The authors explore the source of this fear of rape, its influence on the quality of women's lives, the results in relationships with men and the methods of coping with the physical trauma. Few women resist rapists, the authors maintain, but to avoid the danger of rape, they severely restrict their activities, especially at night.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (January 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252061691
• ISBN-13: 978-0252061691
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,945,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars good book, June 5, 2008

By 

stephaniemorosi "stephanie" (charleston sc) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Female Fear: The Social Cost of Rape (Paperback)

This book talks about misconceptions dealing with rape and how people view rape victims. It talks about the female mindset when a female hears about another woman being rape and the precautions/fear they go through to avoid that horror for themselves. I am keeping this book. I was raped in college and like so many other women, I was more worried about being branded a negative name or being accused of lying that I didn't report it and kept it a secret. People need to realize that telling their daughters that women get raped for "wearing this outfit" or "bar hopping at night" only makes a woman feel guilt after a rape. No woman deserves rape.