5. Statistics and Patterns of Crime - 2. Gender and Crime

Question 1

What did Carol Smart seek to answer?

Answer 1

Why there is a neglect of women in criminology

Question 2

Carol Smart - Neglect of women in criminology

Answer 2

Women tend to commit fewer crimes than men
Most crimes committed by women are of a trivial nature (E.g. shoplifting or prostitution)
Sociology and criminology are male dominated
As women’s behaviour is less of a problem than men’s it receives less attention

Question 3

2021 government statistics on women and the CJS: what percentage of the population are women?

Answer 3

51%

Question 4

2021 government statistics on women and the CJS: percentage of prison population that is female

Answer 4

4%

Question 5

2021 government statistics on women and the CJS: what offence had highest proportion of women?

Answer 5

TV licence evasion

Question 6

2021 government statistics on women and the CJS: in what percentage of female homicide victims was the suspect a partner or ex-partner?

Answer 6

In 54% of female homicide victims, the suspect was their partner or ex-partner

Question 7

2021 government statistics on women and the CJS: differences between men and women regarding self harm in prison

Answer 7

350/1000 female prisoners self harmed
135/1000 male prisoners self harmed

Question 8

What key thesis states that OS misrepresent the true picture of gender and crime?

Answer 8

The Chivalry Thesis

Question 9

Reporting/prosecution of typically ‘female crimes’

Answer 9

Typically ‘female’ crimes are less likely to be reported
Even if reported, they are less likely to be prosecuted

Question 10

The Chivalry Thesis: Pollak

Answer 10

Pollak believed men hate to accuse women and thus send them to their punishment

Question 11

The Chivalry Thesis: who conducted a supporting self-report study?

Answer 11

Campbell

Question 12

What did Campbell find from his self-report study into the Chivalry Thesis?

Answer 12

He found female suspects were more likely to be cautioned rather than prosecuted compared to male suspects

Question 13

Data from Campbell to support his conclusion about the Chivalry Thesis

Answer 13

Ration of male to female juvenile offending was 1.33:1.0 rather than the official figure of 8.95:1.0

Question 14

What did the Ministry of Justice find to support the Chivalry Thesis?

Answer 14

49% of female offenders were cautioned compared to 30% of male offenders

Question 15

What does the Chivalry Thesis state?

Answer 15

Women who commit crime are awarded more lenient sentences than males who commit crime

Question 16

Key sociologist pair who believes that OS show the true picture of gender and crime

Answer 16

Farrington and Morris

Question 17

How do Farrington and Morris argue that OS represent the true picture of gender and crime?

Answer 17

They conducted a study of sentencing and found that although men received more severe sentences than women, differences disappeared when the severity of crime was taken into account

Question 18

Criticism of the Chivalry Thesis

Answer 18

It ignores many male crimes that go unreported
E.g. in 2012, 8% of females who were victims of serious sexual assault reported it

Question 19

3 explanations for female conformity and criminality

Answer 19

Biological explanations (Lombroso)
Functionalism - Sex Role Theory (Parsons)
Liberation Thesis (Adler)

Question 20

Biological explanations for gender differences in crime (Lombroso)

Answer 20

Lombroso believes criminals can be identified by physical abnormalities.
Females less likely to have them so are therefore less likely to be criminals

Question 21

When did Lombroso develop his ideas and are they still relevant?

Answer 21

Developed his ideas in 1895
They were later discredited
HOWEVER, Moir and Jessel explain some female violent crime as being linked with PMS

Question 22

Functionalism Sex Role Theory explanation for female conformity and criminality

Answer 22

Parsons believed crime links to gender roles in the nuclear family
Socialisation can be more difficult for bots as dad isn’t around as much
Girls have role model at home all the time

Question 23

Liberation thesis (Adler)

Answer 23

Adler claims women’s liberation (equal rights) led to new type of / increase in female crime