Gender and gender roles in the context of the perceived safety
Gender and gender roles in the context of the perceived safety

Author(s): Miroslava Bozogáňová
Subject(s): Gender Studies
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: perceived safety; masculinity; feminity,; gender; gender roles;
Summary/Abstract: Perceived safety is a multidimensional construct that encompasses emotional, cognitive and behavioural dimension. Part of the perceived safety is a cognitive evaluation of safety, fear of crime and preventive behaviour. The aim of this study is to make a detailed analysis of the perceived safety with respect to gender itself and gender roles of respondents (masculinity, femininity, androgyny, undifferentiated). Until now the theme of gender roles in the research of perceived safety has appeared more in theoretical spheres. The first research sample consisted of 316 respondents from the population of the Slovak Republic (63,6% women and 36,4% men). The average age of respondents in the sample is M = 35.38 (SD = 15,84) years (15-83 years). The second research sample consisted of 1847 respondents (59,5% women and 40,5% men) from the Slovak Republic's population aged from 15 to 91 years (M = 49,28, SD = 16,53). In order to determine the distribution of respondents in terms of gender roles a questionnaire PAQ - Personal Attributes Questionnaire (Spence, Helmereich, &Stapp, 1974) was used. We found that women showed a lower level of perceived safety in all its dimensions. The results indicate a significant impact of masculinity and feminity on the level of individual’s perceived safety.

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