5. Statistics and Patterns of Crime - 2.1 Feminist Perspective

Question 1

Three elements of the feminist perspective on gender differences in crime

Answer 1

Heidensohn: radical feminism and social control
Carlen: socialist feminism, women, crime and poverty
Messerschmidt and Winlow: masculinity

Question 2

Why are females less likely to commit crime according to Heidensohn?

Answer 2

Because they are subjected to closer levels of social control than men are

Question 3

3 settings where greater control is exercised over women than men according to Heidensohn

Answer 3

Control at home
Control at public
Control at work

Question 4

Control at home (Heidensohn)

Answer 4

Women’s primary responsibilities of housework and childcare keeps them at home for more hours than men
Women may also feel controlled at home due to domestic violence and financial control
Girls also tend to be subject to greater control than boys

Question 5

Control in public (Heidensohn)

Answer 5

Women may fear going out in public (E.g. fear of being ridiculed, raped or assaulted) which reduces opportunities for them to commit crime

Question 6

Control at work (Heidensohn)

Answer 6

Most managers are men so can therefore exercise control over women

Question 7

Positive evaluation of Heidensohn’s radical feminism and social control: Toor and British Asian girls

Answer 7

Toor identified very low rates of recorded crime among British Asian girls and they are the group who experience the highest levels of control

Question 8

Negative evaluation of Heidensohn’s radical feminism and social control: out of date

Answer 8

May be outdated as women can now express greater control
This is the view of liberal feminists who support a MoP view

Question 9

Who developed socialist feminism, women, crime and poverty?

Answer 9

Carlen

Question 10

Study carried out by Carlen

Answer 10

Unstructured interviews of 39 women who had been convicted of a variety of offences

Question 11

Characteristics of female offenders in Carlen’s study

Answer 11

Overwhelming from w/c backgrounds
Hadn’t experienced benefits of women’s liberation unlike m/c women

Question 12

What did Carlen conclude from the study?

Answer 12

Concluded that gender and class interacted in explaining offending of women in study

Question 13

Citing control theory (Carlen)

Answer 13

W/C women enjoyed little success in society and had little to lose turning to crime.
Criminality emerged by drug addiction, search for excitement, being raised in care and experiencing poverty

Question 14

2 reasons why w/c women were more likely to commit crimes (Carlen)

Answer 14

Class deals
Gender deals

Question 15

Class deals

Answer 15

Sacrificing personal freedom and working hard to earn enough money to gain access to consumer goods and leisure
Female offenders in study had few qualifications and no experiences of sustaining a well-paid job
Living in poverty and being unemployed, women had no incentive to conform to

Question 16

Gender deals

Answer 16

Accepting marriage/long-term relationship for promise of security, happiness and fulfilment
Carlen believed this promise is part of patriarchal ideology as family can be oppressive
Women in study had little experience of family life, meaning they didn’t know what they were missing by rejecting it

Question 17

Positive evaluation of Carlen’s socialist feminism: Cortson Report

Answer 17

Cortson Report found that 40% of women in UK prison have been out of work for 5 years and 61% had no qualifications

Question 18

Negative evaluation of Carlen’s socialist feminism

Answer 18

The factors used aren’t unique to women and apply to all offenders

Question 19

Messerschmidt and Winlow’s masculinity explanation for gender differences in crime

Answer 19

Crime may be men’s only option to express their masculinity
Competitive nature of masculinity means men may commit crimes as a way of proving themselves