CD8 Gender and Crime Flashcards
Trends in Gender and Crime (types of crime by men, women and prison statistics)
Types of crime by men -
Violent crime, assault, sexual offences, white collar crime and corporate crime.
Types of crime by women -
Property offences except burglary, shoplifting, fraud especially benefits, prostitution.
Prison statistics -
By the age of 40 9% of women have a conviction against 32% of Men.
Chivalry Thesis + evaluation
Pollack
Women are less likely to be charged or convicted of the crime due to the Criminal Justice System (CJS) being made up mostly of men who are brought up to be chivalrous towards them.
Evaluation:
. There are now more women in the CJS which disregards the chivalry thesis.
. Women may get treated more leniently as their crimes tend to be less serious.
. Women face double deviancy in the CJS especially when their crimes go against traditional gender norms.
. Men are now being pressured by society to treat women equally so chivalry is essentially dying.
2 reasons for increased female crime
Liberation Theory - Adler
Feminisation of poverty
Liberation Thesis + Evaluation
Adler
As women have become more liberated from patriarchal control there will be a increase in the levels of female crime as well as an increase in the seriousness of those crimes. This is due to greater self confidence and imposing attitude of women.
Evaluation
. Crime rates in women started growing in the 1950’s before the liberation movement.
. A majority of female criminals are W/C so less likely to be influenced by liberation movement.
. Chesney & Lind -women branching into male crimes is linked to female crimes.
Feminisation of Poverty + Evaluation
Women are more likely to be living under the poverty line which can force them into criminal activity in order to make ends meet.
Evaluation
. Not all women who live below the poverty line turn to crime to support their family.
. Doesn’t explain non-utilitarian crime.
3 Reasons for Male Crime rates
Masculinity Theory - Messerschmidt
Labelling Theory
Opportunity
Masculinity Theory + Evaluation
Messerschmidt –
men commit crime in order to show their masculinity and prove that they are men. He clarifies between Hegemonic and Subordinate masculinity.
Evaluation
. Could be considered a description of offenders rather than an explanation. . Not all men commit crime to accomplish masculinity.
. Too far reaching.
Messerchmidt Difference between Hegemonic and Subordinate masculinity
Labelling Theory + Evaluation
Men are often stereotyped as being more violent than women which can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy on how they should behave. Additionally men are labelled as providers for the family and may turn to crime in order to do this.
Evaluation
. Not all men a criminal.
. Rise of the symmetrical family and women in the world of work means that men are no longer seen as the sole providers for family.
Opportunity as a reason for crime rate + Evaluation
Men have more opportunity to commit crime both blue collar and white collar crime. Men are more likely to be in situations that can lead to violent action and have access to commit white collar crime.
Evaluation
. It doesn’t explain why men commit the crimes they do.
. Not all men commit crime.
5 Reasons why women commit less crime than men
Less detectable offences
Sex role theory - Parsons
Control Theory - Heidensohn
Class and Gender deals - Carlen
Socialisation
Sex-role Theory + Evaluation
Parsons
Females commit less crime than men due to the socialisation that they receive as children and their access to adult role models. Boys have less access to adult role models in the home so are more likely to turn to all male gangs for masculine identity.
Evaluation
Walklate: Parson makes a biological assumption about the roles of men and women. It assumes that women are the more nurturing due to childbearing and therefore find their role models in their mothers.
Control Theory + Evaluation
Heidensohn –
Women commit less crime than men due to the amount of patriarchal control women are subjected to. This control is in the home, workplace and public arenas which mean that women have less opportunities to commit crime.
Evaluation
. Patriarchal control can push people into crime rather than preventing it.
. Equal opportunities could be reducing patriarchal control.
Class and gender deals + Evaluation
Carlen –
Class Deal –material rewards for being in paid work which enable women to purchase consumer goods.
Gender Deal –conforming to traditional roles of wife and mother and gains emotional rewards and male support. Not all women are able to access these rewards so they may turn to crime.
Evaluation
. Sample in the original study making it hard to generalise to all women.
. Suggests that women are influenced by external factors which under plays the role of free will
Socialisation as a reason why women commit less crime than men.
Women are socialised into being the “Guardians of domestic morality” and there for risk more social exclusion then men if they are to commit crime. There for women face a double jeopardy of being condemned twice once for committing the crime and once for behaving in a unfeminine way.
Link to Double Deviancy Theory
