Why are women more likely than men to convict a man for stalking?

Because men are more likely to be pervs and/or dangerous.

Most of the time, the key word for men is “dumped”. In one form or another, more men have been dumped, than women.

Stalking involves more than just some guy in love and trying to win her heart. In this case, it takes two to tango…to speak. She does not object to his wooing her and thats okay.

But, being dumped and making an idiot of yourself, can be considered stalking. Most laws have certain criteria that must be followed, in order for stalking to apply.

Constant emailing, constant text messages, constant phone calls, constantly following a person, leaving notes in conspicious places, and leaving flowers can apply as stalking.

Here is a good example.

This woman worked at a shoe factory. She dated this guy one time and it did not work for her, so she asked him to leave her alone. He did not. He left notes on her car, flowers on her car, constant text messages day and night. He discovered where she lived and layed flowers on her front porch. Still ignorning him, one day, while she was at work, he broke into her house and pulled the covers back on her bed. He bought a pink night gown and placed it on her side of the bed. A dozen red roses were placed on the night gown.

She panicked and called the police. I advised her to move to another city.

She did.

”...women are more likely than men to convict a man of stalking.”

I’d be interested to see the statistics on this. Do you have a link?

If this is true, my guess is that men’s stalking behavior is perceived as more of a threat. Men and women are both capable of stalking. But a man who stalks a woman is more of an immediate, physical threat to her. If I was being stalked by a man, my first thought would be “potential rapist.” I’d worry about safety. If I were stalking a man, I would probably not have the strength/ power to physically subdue him on my own.

There’s more straight people than gay people?

Women don’t have the guts or the patience to stalk. I mean, I’m a girl, I’m not trying to be a tritor or anything. Just how it is.

You mean female judges convict more stalkers than male judges do?

From the Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, National Crime Victimization Survey, Stalking Vicimization in the United States (2009 report. 2006 stats.)

During a 12-month period an estimated 14 in every
1,000 persons age 18 or older were victims of stalking
• About half (46%) of stalking victims experienced at least
one unwanted contact per week, and 11% of victims said
they had been stalked for 5 years or more.
• The risk of stalking victimization was highest for individuals
who were divorced or separated—34 per 1,000
individuals.
• Women were at greater risk than men for stalking victimization;
however, women and men were equally likely to
experience harassment.
• Male (37%) and female (41%) stalking victimizations
were equally likely to be reported to the police.
• Approximately 1 in 4 stalking victims reported some form
of cyberstalking such as e-mail (83%) or instant messaging
(35%).
• 46% of stalking victims felt fear of not knowing what
would happen next.
• Nearly 3 in 4 stalking victims knew their offender in some
capacity.
• More than half of stalking victims lost 5 or more days
from work.

http://www.multistalkervictims.org/svus.pdf

Women are more likely to press charges?

More men have been dumped than women?

Is everyone pulling this out of their ass? First of all, I would guess that men are more often accused of stalking behavior not only because of being generally more outwardly aggressive but because women are taught from birth to be fearful, suspicious and paranoid.

A few years ago a coworker of mine was complaining of having a stalker, saying she was very frightened, etc. She called the police to see what her options were and they essentially blew her off. According to her she saw him several times a week when running around town, and near her home. They lived in the same damn neighborhood. He’d never even talked to her. The consensus was that she was bat shit. Nothing bad ever happened to her. There are a ton of reasons why people are perceived as stalking and why they actually would be. But all these assumptions stated above me are ridiculous.

@john65pennington‘s answer provided one example where I would be freaked out. If I found flowers on my porch, I would tell him to fuck off in a very clear manner, even before that however he would have had his emails, phone calls and texts blocked. I would have pressed charges after a break in, for sure.

@TheIntern55 I don’t even know how to respond to you.

Well, there aren’t many studies on stalking, but here is one:
http://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=gradschool_diss&sei-redir=1#search=%22University+of+Kentucky+dissertation+stalking%22

This dissertation, toward the end, summarizes many of the major findings. One of the things it indicates is that women are more likely than men to convict for the crime of stalking. It begs the question, why?

Some of you have pointed out that a man can potentially be an immediate physical threat. My question in response to that would be: how do you know when what you’re feeling/thinking is worth getting someone arrested over?

Stalking statutes of many states now use the “reasonable person” standard, and this basically says that if your behavior would cause a reasonable person to fear bodily injury or death, then you could be brought up on stalking charges. What is a reasonable person to you?

The definitions are so vague it’s mind-boggling, and looking at the statutes in use by many states, the definitions appear over-broad on some level.

@JLeslie That is not true

Some women are more likely to cry stalking even if they are not being stalked. They feel threatened easily even when there isn’t any danger at all.

I don’t know many men who stalk men though I am sure it has happened.

@Mikewlf337: You’re both right (sort of). Men are responsible for more violent and sexually motivated crimes than women. And women have been taught to feel more threatened in general by society.

@asmonet Because usually a man can overpower a woman if he wants to rape her. To do that the man has to have the desire to rape her. I disagree about @JLeslie saying men are more likely to be pervs and dangerous. There are plenty of dangerous and perverted women out there.

@Mikewlf337 You are wrong.

Men are much more likely to commit violent crimes against women that vice versa.

“In 2005, 1,181 women were murdered by an intimate partner.1 That’s an average of three women every day. Of all the women murdered in the U.S., about one-third were killed by an intimate partner.2”

“According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, women experience about 4.8 million intimate partner-related physical assaults and rapes every year.4”

“According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, which includes crimes that were not reported to the police, 232,960 women in the U.S. were raped or sexually assaulted in 2006. That’s more than 600 women every day.6”

Source

@marinelife I meant violent crimes in general. This question is about stalking which is not a violent crime by itself. It may or may not lead to a violent crime. I also wonder if some of the rape cases I hear about are outright lies because I read in a newspaper a few years back that false rape claims are on the rise.

I am not saying that men do not commit more rape than women. I know that men commit more rape than women. I am just saying that women are just as capable of commiting a violent crime as much as a man.

I imagine that it is because women can more easily imagine being stalked, and that men can more easily imagine trying to woo someone and being misunderstood as a stalker. Women get much more sexual approaches than men do, and much more of it is unwanted, proportionally. Men are much more likely to have their advances turned down, often in unfriendly ways. As a man, if a woman pursues me, I am almost always flattered and happy and polite and I respond frankly and in a friendly way and if I’m not interested I make it clear, and it is not likely I am going to be worried she is going to stalk me in a way I would find dangerous. Meanwhile, women I know often surprise me by being afraid to answer phone calls from unfamiliar phone numbers, or calling men who are interested in them stalkers as a joke.

I’m mainly aware of stalking as a social judgement rather than a crime – I’m not sure what the legal definition is, so I’d go by that, but personally, I think the line that becomes “stalking” is when they trespass, invade privacy, or do things they have seriously been told not to do.

Why women are more likely to convict, I have no idea.

However, I do think that men are taught that a woman who says no to dating you is just playing the cat-and-mouse game, that she’s just looking to be wooed, that you simply need to persuade her, same as you need to persuade the customer who’s not sure about buying the product or service you sell. Women, on the other hand, are taught that if he’s so much as distant for a day, you need to leave him alone now lest you be thought of as that clingy, needy, crazy chick that’s a minor female character in all rom-coms.

@Ffan “My question in response to that would be: how do you know when what you’re feeling/thinking is worth getting someone arrested over?”

I looked for definitions/ explanations of stalking and actually liked Wikipedia’s the best:

“Stalking can be defined as the willful and repeated following, watching, and / or harassing of another person. Most of the time, the purpose of stalking is to attempt to force a relationship with someone who is unwilling or otherwise unavailable. Unlike other crimes, which usually involve one act, stalking is a series of actions that occur over a period of time.”

Stalking is a series of actions done by a perpetrator, not just thoughts and feelings inside a victim’s head. The decision to take legal action against someone is personal, and the threshold of what behavior is unacceptable will probably be different from person to person. Personally, if the stalker’s actions made me fearful, then I would pursue legal action. That’s my threshold. If someone makes me afraid for my physical safety, then it is absolutely worth it to put them in jail. My interpretation of their intent is subjective- maybe they didn’t mean to make me afraid- but I’m not going to wait until they harm me to find out. I’m going to keep myself safe, first and foremost.

Here’s an example of the distinction I’m trying to make. I broke up with a boyfriend in high school, and afterward he sent me endless text messages, waited for me after class at school, flooded my online profiles with messages, and sent me flowers. But I never actually felt an immediate danger from these actions, because all of his interactions with me were in crowded public places like school or over the internet. He never attempted any physical contact; he just wanted to talk. I firmly told him that he had to stop and blocked him on my online profiles.

Another time, an ex broke into my house and vandalized the place after a breakup. I set everything to rights and changed the locks. A few days later, he talked the downstairs roommates into letting him in and alternated between pounding on my door, yelling, and throwing himself against the door. I called the police on that one.

@marinelife Thanks for posting those. It makes me wonder, what’s the likelihood of stalking leading to violence? Your stats show that violence against women by an intimate partner is fairly widespread. I don’t know much about the psychology behind stalking violence or partner violence, but there is definitely a connection.

@Mikewlf337 What @asmonet said was perfect. Men are more likely to commit violent crimes and women are taught to be worried about men. An obsessed man has an incredible physical advantage over a women. Well, basically any average man has an incredible advantage physically over women. Women are taught to worry about being harmed, while men rarely think about it. So, if a man doesn’t want to be thought of as a perv who might become violent, he should keep the fuck away if his advances are not wanted. Stalking, actually creeping around and showing up everywhere, following a woman, of course is going to panic a woman. Men get to sit back and think, “that crazy lady keeps showing up, I really think she is following me.” But, he probably doesn’t think the woman would hurt him, unless she specifically threatened him. Because, statistically it is less likely for a woman to be violent. Not only are men physically stronger but we have innies. If a woman rapes a man it might be emotionally painful, but for us it is physically terryifying and painful also. Unless someone is shoving something up your ass or holding a gun to your head while they force you to suck their dicks, and men do get raped like that, although I think it is much more rare than women getting raped, and it is usually committed by other men, and it goes unreported quite often when it does happen. I venture to guess that if men really had an idea in their head of being forceably raped, they too might be freaked about someone stalking them, but I don’t think men ever worry about it at all. Maybe I am wrong.

@JLeslie That what makes it difficult to approach a woman. Men are afraid of being labeled a stalker and a perv. Which happens more than actual stalking. It is a lose-lose situation really. Besides what some consider stalking is not stalking at all and usually the woman blows the situation way out of proportion which also happens more than actual stalking.

@Mikewlf337 Says who? Do you have stats on that? Men being labelled or reported for stalking when they aren’t stalking? A man approaching me does not make him a stalker. A man constantly showing up, constantly calling when they have been told to stop, repeatedly writing messages or saying things about having a future, when there is no relationship to begin with, that is a stalker.

@JLeslie How would I have stats? Do you think I keep records of everything I see and hear? Of course you want a link to some site which may or may not be accurate. There are 2 sides to every story and shit gets blown out of proportions more times than not. Men are easily seen as a threat to women. Usually when the man means no harm. That is why some men are very reluctant to even talk to women. Your example can be seen as stalking. My point is that there are women who blow things out of proportion. Run into the same woman at 2 different locations on the same day and she immediately thinks she is being stalked. It happens more times than you appearantly would like to admit. Men might be able to overpower a man but some women use manipulation and lies to get what they want. I have seen it and I don’t need to post a link to a webpage with stats because I am sure there are alot of men a women who know what I am talking about.

@Mikewlf337 “approaching” a woman has absolutely nothing to do with stalking. @JLeslie has it nailed. Note Wikipedia definition quoted by @Haleth above.

@Mikewlf337 If you don’t have stats, then you don’t know that men being labeled as stalkers and pervs happens more than actual stalking – your own personal anecdotal evidence doesn’t actually count.

@Mikewlf337 I really have no idea what you are talking about. No one is going to be charged with stalking because they happend to run into the same person twice in one day.

@plethora I agree that @JLeslie was correct with her definition

@MyNewtBoobs Yes it counts. I don’t need a webpage with stats to prove my point. Everyone know at least one woman does blow things out of proportion and labels a man as a stalker and a perv when he is neither.

@Mikewlf337 Yes, actually you do. What you hold to be true in your heart isn’t self-evident. Why should anyone possibly believe you if you have no evidence to support your argument?

@JLeslie It happens even if you dont recieve a link to a webpage. of course if I don’t have a link you will waive it off as anecdotal. I don’t feel like googling everything to prove something everyone has seen. Everyone on here can do an internet search so why not google it?

@MyNewtBoobs I do not. Everyone knows at least one woman who does shit like this. Like I just said. Google it yourself if you demand stats. People do “possibly believe me” because everyone has seen it. Why should I believe every woman who says she is being stalked when she doesn’t present evidence of her being stalked. I take the words of drama queens with a grain of salt. Just like you take what I said with a grain of salt. I don’t think anyone actually records false stalking accusations anyways. Still it does happen.

@Mikewlf337 Do you mean throwing the word around? That is different than someone actually being a stalker, or a woman actually calling the police, or getting a court order.

@Mikewlf337 Right, and I could look them up, except I’m not the one making unsubstantiated claims, you are, so the burden’s kinda on you to prove that you’re not, well, lying. Everyone knows – no they don’t! And even if they did, that isn’t proof, not even remotely. Hell, I could say “Everyone knows that only crazy people don’t like chocolate”, and I’m sure tons of chocolate lovers would feel this to strike true in their hearts, but it doesn’t make it any more factually true just because you feel it should be true.

You’re not trying to learn or question here. You offer no support for your ‘facts’ and you’ve been generally offensive to women. You’re sexist and you haven’t listened to anyone with an open mind.

I’m done with this thread and you.

I am sure there are women who have falsely accused men of stalking them. But, the question the OP asked is why are women more likely than men to convict (I have a feeling convict is a wrong word choice) men of stalking. It is because men are more likely to be stalkers, more likely to be pervs, and more likely to be violent. I am not saying there are not some crazy women out there.

@JLeslie To get a cord order she would actually have to prove it. That is why it is recorded as a statistic. A woman lying like all lies is not recorded as an official statistic. That is why there is no stats. I still wouldn’t post them because I don’t feel like surfing the web for them.

@asmonet I really do not care.

@MyNewtBoobs I am not lying and really do care if you believe me or not and I am not here to prove anything to you or anyone else.

@JLeslie A person proven to be a stalker is a stalker. I think women are likely to be stalkers as much as men. It is just that men usually do not take a female stalker seriously. Maybe a man would take a male stalker seriously but I do not hear about that much. I am not denying that a proven stalker is a stalker.

@Mikewlf337 Men do indeed stalk men. Men do more of the stalking in general according to the stats, but women do indeed stalk. You just stated what I stated way up above, men are probably more likely to not take a female stalker seriously or fear them.

@JLeslie, the word “convict” was specifically chosen because it refers to the courtroom trial setting. Mock jury trials show a marked difference in conviction decisions when blocked by gender. The original question was posted with the intent on gaining some insight into why this occurs.

@FFan So you mean women on a jury?