Violence and Gender Reexamined

Using a comparative method to determine how violence against women differs from violence against men, Felson illustrates not only that violence against women is less frequent than violence against men but also that our culture and legal system treat it more harshly. Contrary to the claims that our courts "blame the victim" in cases of violence against women, the author shows that the tradition of protection of women sometimes produces the opposite effect, and that it is due process and not sexism that makes, for instance, rape cases seem biased against women. This powerful book encourages all readers, be they psychologists, lawyers, social scientists, or concerned lay people, to question preconceptions about gender and violence.

Richard B. Felson, Ph.D. is professor of crime, law, and justice and of sociology at Pennsylvania State University.