Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Using an inverted version of social disorganisation theory, this paper examines the statistical relationship of sexual assaults rates and the social structural features of rural communities in Australia. Social structure is measured by census level indicators of the population for non-urban Local Government Areas (LGA). LGA’s are equivalent to counties in the United States. Rural LGA’s typically consist of a central market town and a surrounding hinterland of small villages and agricultural operations. Different types of rural LGA’s, that is, different kinds of structural characteristics based on demographic, social and economic characteristics of LGA’s, are expected to display different rates of sexual assault. Through this analysis, the paper critiques current synonymic concepts related to collective efficacy, cohesion, integration, gemeinschaft, and social disorganization.