Gender Differences in Violent Crime Victimization for International Students

A new study by researchers at Georgia State University and the University of West Georgia finds that college students from outside the United States are less likely than American students to be victims of violent crime on campus. The study found that this is particularly true for women.

“We found that, collectively, the international student’s college experience is different from that of students from the United States,” said criminologist Leah E. Daigle, an associate professor in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University.

Dr. Daigle went on to explain why she believes there are gender differences in violent crime victimization for international students. “Male and female students do, in fact, experience college differently from one another,” Dr. Daigle said. “It is likely that their role expectations, socialization and structural opportunities are fundamentally different, affecting where and with whom they spend their time, their degree of supervision, their likelihood of having contact with strangers and their exposure to risky and dangerous public places. We found that international students may not engage in the same daily or recreational activities as do their domestic peers, therefore reducing their risk of violent victimization.”

Dr. Daigle is a graduate of Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. She holds a master’s degree from Northeastern University in Boston, and a Ph.D. in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati.

The study, “The Extent and Risk of Violent Victimization Among International College Students Enrolled in the United States: A Gendered Analysis,” was published on the website of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence. It may be accessed here.