Although the hypothesis that women are more fearful of crime than men has been supported by many previous studies of both elderly and general populations, the meaning and explanation of this relationship have not been successfully ascertained. This study measured fear of crime by 13 different items. Results of this study -- that women have more apprehension of walking alone in their neighborhoods at night -- may be related to women's lower self-assessed abilities to protect themselves against assault. Sex differences on all other dimensions are negligible. Three tables and 34 references are provided. (Author abstract modified)