3.2 gender and crime Flashcards
1
Q
What is the prison population by gender?
A
- men = 82,312
- women = 3,514
2
Q
How many women’s prisons are there in the UK out of the total 117 prisons?
A
only 12
3
Q
How many more times are men likely to be convicted of murder?
A
15 times
4
Q
What kind of offences are a higher proportion of women convicted for?
A
property offences i.e. shoplifting, but not burglary
5
Q
What is the arrest rate by gender?
A
men = 85%
women = 15%
6
Q
What is the prosecution rate by gender?
A
men - 79%
women - 21%
7
Q
What percentage of cases that are remanded at crown court are men?
A
90%
8
Q
What does Carol Smart(1977) say about criminology?
A
- criminology tends to be dominated by men
- traditional criminology is motivated by a desire to control problem behaviour, as women’s behaviour is less of a problem than men’s it has recieved less attention
- women tend to commit less crimes than men and most crimes committed by women appear to be of a comparatively trivial nature e.g. shoplifting,drugs
9
Q
Which sociologist is associated with the chivalry thesis?
A
Pollack (1950)
10
Q
What is the chivalry thesis?
A
- a male dominated CJS treats women differently/ they are seen as vulnerable and needing rescue
- there have been more men than women working in the position of power in the CJS
11
Q
What did Campbell’s self-report study find?
A
- female suspects were more likely than male suspects to be cautioned rather than prosecuted
12
Q
What did Farrington and Morris’ study of sentencing in magistrates’ courts find?
A
- although men received more severe sentences than women, the differenced disappeared when the severity of offences was taken into account = the more serious the crime, the more harshly the woman was punished
- crimes which are seen as breaking the stereotypical mould of what is to be feminine, were treated more harshly
13
Q
What does Heidensohn argue about double standards in crime?
A
- the justice system is influenced by attitudes to gender in society as a whole
- women are treated more harshly when they deviate from morms of female sexuality - sexually promiscuos girls are more likely to be taken into care than similar boys
- but courts may be reluctant to imprison mothers with young children
14
Q
What does Carlen argue about double standards in criminal justice?
A
- women are more likely to be sentenced according to the court’s assessment of them as wives, mothers and daughters rather than the seriousness of their crimes
15
Q
What does Fran Adler argue about female crime and women’s liberation?
A
- women’s liberation has led to a new type of female criminal and an increase in women’s contribution to crime
- women are taking on male social roles in bith legitimate and illegitimate areas of activity
- women were getting involved in robbing banks, mugging and even murder
16
Q
What is an evaluation of Adler’s views?
A
- Box and Hare = female crime has increased more likely because of unemployment and inadequate welfare benefits
- most female criminals are from lower-class backgrounds and are the least likely to have been touched by women’s liberation
17
Q
What does Pat Carlen argue about women, crime and poverty?
A
- WC women have been controlled through the promise of rewards stemming from the workplace and family
- the class deal = offers material rewards for those respectable WC women who work dutifully
- the gender deal = offers psychological rewrds from their labours or the ‘love’ of a male breadwinner
- when these rewards aren’t available the deals break down and criminality becomes a possibility
18
Q
In what three ways does Heidensohn argue that women are controlled?
A
- control of women at home
- control of women in public
- control of women at work
19
Q
How does Heidensohn argue that women are controlled at home?
A
- the time spent on housework and caring for children means that women have little time for crime
- daughters are given less freedom than sons
20
Q
How does Heidensohn argue that women are controlled in public?
A
- they often choose not to go out into public places because of fear of becoming a victim of crime/harassment
- also limit their behaviour in public for fear of being labelled a ‘slag, slut or bitch’
21
Q
How does Heidensohn argue that women are controlled at work?
A
- usually controlled by male superiors at work and may be intimidated by various forms of harassment
22
Q
What does Walklate believe about rape cases?
A
- it’s the female victim rather than the male suspect who ends up on trial
- women have to establish their respectability if their evidence is to be believed
23
Q
What do Dobash and Dobash argue about domestic violence cases?
A
- police officers were very unlikely to make an arrest in cases of domestic violence
24
Q
How can sex role theory be used to explain women’s low rate of crime?
A
- women are socialised into the ‘expressive role’, encouraging them to adopt feminine characteristics such as being more emotional, less competitive, less tough and aggressive
- women therefore may commit less crime, which is associated with these characteristics
25
What does **Messerchmidt** argue about crime and masculinity?
- masculinity is a social construct and men are constantly having to work at constructing and presenting it to others
-
26
What is hegemonic masculinity according to Messerschmidt?
- the dominant, prestigious form that most men wish to accomplish
- it’s defined through work in the paid-labour market, the subordination of women, heterosexism and the driven and uncontrollable sexuality of men
27
What are **subordinated masculinities** according to Messerschmidt?
- with gay men, who have no desire to accomplish hegemonic masculinity, as well ad lower class and some ethnic minority men have them
28
For Messerscmidt how is crime and masculinity linked?
- crime and deviance are resources that different men may use for accomplishing masculinity
29
How do white MC male youths accomplish masculinity?
- subordinate themselves to teachers in order to achieve a MC status (**accomodating masculinity**)
- BUT outside school, masculinity takes an **oppositional** form e.g. drinking and vandalism
30
How do white WC male youths accomplish masculinity?
- have less chance of educational success, so their masculinity is **oppositional** both in and out of school e.g. Willis’s lads
31
How do black WC male youths accomplish masculinity?
- have few expectations of a reasonable job and may use gang membership and violence to express their masculinity
32
What are some criticisms of Messerschmidt?
- doesn’t explain why not all men use crime to accomplish masculinity
- over-works the concept of masculinity to explain virtually all male crimes, from joy-riding to embezzlement
- explanations of WC and ethnic minorities are stereotypical
33
Why may some WC ethnoic minority boys commit crime?
- crime offers material success
- they don’t expect to be able to hold down a steady job and support a family
- they use violence to express their masculinity and may become involved in more serious property crime than white WC youths
34
What does **Simon Winlow** find on social change, masculinity and crime?
- an ethnographic study of bouncers (2001)
- explores masculinity and crime
- boys could previously gain status through traditional masculine work and industries
- now this is achieved through violence and crime
- being a bouncer became an attractive prospect
35
How do postmodernists explain male crime?
- **edgework** = young males seek pleasure and like risk taking, thrills are gained from acting in ways that are on the edge between security and danger e.g. joyriding
