Why Girls Fight : Female Youth Violence in the Inner City

In low-income U.S. cities, street fights between teenage girls are common. These fights take place at school, on street corners, or in parks, when one girl provokes another to the point that she must either “step up” or be labeled a “punk.” Typically, when girls engage in violence that is not strictly self-defense, they are labeled “delinquent,” their actions taken as a sign of emotional pathology. However, in Why Girls Fight, Cindy D. Ness demonstrates that in poor urban areas this kind of street fighting is seen as a normal part of girlhood and a necessary way to earn respect among peers, as well as a way for girls to attain a sense of mastery and self-esteem in a social setting where legal opportunities for achievement are not otherwise easily available. Ness spent almost two years in west and northeast Philadelphia to get a sense of how teenage girls experience inflicting physical harm and the meanings they assign to it. While most existing work on girls’ violence deals exclusively with gangs, Ness sheds new light on the everyday street fighting of urban girls, arguing that different cultural standards associated with race and class influence the relationship that girls have to physical aggression.

in Low-income U.s. Cities, Street Fights Between Teenage Girls Are Common. They Take Place At School, On Street Corners, Or In Parks, When One Girl Provokes Another To The Point That She Must Either Step Up Or Be Labeled A Punk. Typically, When Girls Engage In Violence That Is Not Strictly Self-defense, They Are Labeled Delinquent, Their Actions Taken As A Sign Of Emotional Pathology. Yet Cindy D. Ness Demonstrates That In Poor Urban Areas This Kind Of Street Fighting Is Seen As A Normal Part Of Girlhood And A Necessary Way To Earn Respect Among Peers; Moreover, Such Fighting Offers Girls An Avenue For Attaining A Sense Of Mastery And Self-esteem In A Social Setting Where Legal Opportunities For Achievement Are Not Otherwise Easily Available.

while Most Existing Work On Girls' Violence Deals Exclusively With Gangs. Ness Sheds New Light On The Everyday Street Fighting Of Urban Girls, Arguing That Different Cultural Standards Associated With Race And Class Influence The Relationship That Girls Have To Physical Aggression.

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it Should Come As No Surprise That Violence Exists Among Youth In The Inner City. But The Reasons For It Among Minority Girls Have Not Been Studied In Depth Until This New Book, Written By A Practicing Psychologist In New York City And John Jay College Of The City University Of New York. This Is A Scholarly Book, Clearly Written For Fellow Sociologists And Psychologists, In Which A Case Is Made For The Heretofore Undocumented Reasons Why Girls Maintain A Fighting Stance Both In School And In The Streets. Thus School Personnel In Inner-city Schools And Teenagers Who Are Studying And Researching Violence In School Will Appreciate The Methodical Research The Author Has Done To Come To Some Surprising Conclusions. For Two Years Ness Followed Girls In Two Sections Of Philadelphia Where Fights Among Girls Were Common. She Also Rode In Police Cars To Observe How The Authorities Perceived And Acted Upon These Confrontations. Ness Concludes That Girls Living In Poverty Without Much Hope Of A Future Have Low Self-esteem And Thus Have A Constant Sense Of Actual Or Perceived Threat. Their Mothers And Sisters Encourage Fighting Behavior Since Fathers And Brothers Are Often Absent. The Consequences Of Being Arrested Or Seriously Injuring Another Are Not Deterrents. Being Provoked To Fight By Another Girl Will Raise Her Self-esteem And Gain Respect From Other Girls And Even Boys. If A Girl Shirks The Chance To Fight She Is Called A Punk (a Nobody), Which Is The Ultimate Insult. The Ten Pages Of References Attest To The Academically Rigorous Research That Went Into This Ground-breaking Book Best Suited For The Professional Library Of A Junior/high School. Reviewer: Peggy Fleming

Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 1 Introduction......Page 16 2 The City of Philadelphia and Female Youth Violence......Page 38 3 Girls' Violent Behavior as Viewed from the Streets......Page 60 4 The Reasons Girls Give for Fighting......Page 84 5 Mothers, Daughters, and the Double-Generation Dynamic......Page 106 6 Culture and Neighborhood Institutions......Page 130 7 Conclusion......Page 154 Notes......Page 172 References......Page 182 C......Page 192 G......Page 193 M......Page 195 P......Page 196 S......Page 197 Z......Page 198 About the Author......Page 200 Introduction to the subject The city of Philadelphia and female youth violence Girls' violent behavior as viewed from the streets The reasons girls give for fighting Mothers, daughters, and the "double-generation" dynamic Culture and neighborhood institutions Conclusion. Om hvorledes sociale, kulturelle og individuelle faktorer tilsammen forklarer, hvorfor piger slås eller udøver vold. Baseret på samtaler med 16 unge piger fra lavindkomstmiljøer i Philadelphia, med deres venner, familie samt fagfolk