Cindy D. Ness: Why Girls Fight: Female Youth Violence in the Inner City

“Street fights” among teenage girls are common in low-income areas in US cities. These fights occur in many settings: on the streets, at school, or in public places and usually occurs when one girl provokes another to the point that she either “steps up” or is labeled a “punk” (Ness 2010). Street fights are viewed as a normal part of “girlhood” and necessary to earn respect among peers or a way to attain a sense of mastery and self-esteem in a social setting where opportunities for achievement are not readily available (Ness 2010). When girls engage in street fights that are not considered self-defense, they are labeled as “delinquents,” and their actions are construed as emotional in nature. Understanding why girls in low-income areas engage in street fights or other forms of physical violence is crucial to understanding girls’ violence. In Why Girls Fight: Female Youth Violence in the Inner City, Ness explores the structural and cultural forces involved in shaping individual behavior and feelings relating to street fights and demonstrates why fights among girls are common in lower income neighborhoods. …