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Natural Resources

Drilling Down on Patriarchy: Natural Resource Extraction and Violence against Women in Rural Places Walter DeKeseredy*, Joseph Donnermeyer,

There are two similar theories about the impacts of fracking and other forms of natural resource extraction related to crime and other harmful effects on rural communities. In rural sociological circles, there is the idea that natural resource extraction disrupts the social structure of smaller places and thereby contributes to various crimes, including violence against women. It is called the social disruption theory. In criminology, the theory of social disorganization, which arose from  the Chicago School of Sociology nearly a century ago, examines how economic and social change contributes to crime. This presentation critiques both the theories of social disruption and social disorganization, suggesting that criminogenic conditions for certain offenses likely already exist in places where natural resource extraction is about to begin. In the case of violence against rural women, we argue the prior condition is hegemonic expressions of male patriarchy. We elaborate on the theory of rural masculinity and male peer support for sexual assault as an alternative theoretical framework.