Crime And Deviance - Crime And Gender - Differences Between Men & Women

Question 1

what % of crimes do men commit and what type of crimes are they typically?

Answer 1

• 80%
• typically violent crimes

Question 2

what is recidivism and which gender has a higher rate of it?

Answer 2

• recidivism = repeated offending
• men have higher rates

Question 3

what gender has lower conviction rates? why?

Answer 3

• women
• potentially chivalry factor, CJS being more lenient to women, the patriarchy nd how women are viewed as ‘weak’ and ‘helpless’ in society

Question 4

outline some biological explanations for differences in crime rates

Answer 4

• higher levels of testosterone

Question 5

describe extraversion and impulsive characteristics

Answer 5

extraversion: confident, risk-taking and agressive
impulsive: acting first, thinking later

Question 6

eval/counter arguments for extraversion theory

Answer 6

• if this is true, this logic doesn’t explain why there has been an increase in female criminality over time
• the no. of females convicted for violent crimes has tripled in the last few years

Question 7

describe how primary socialisation links to gender and crime

Answer 7

• during early socialisation, boys often play with violent toys that cause aggression
• girls tend to play with mre nurting toys such as baby dolls

Question 8

eval/counter for socialisation theory

Answer 8

• if the theory is correct, it is not clear why men commit non-violent crimes
• evidence suggests men commit more fraud than women which does not link to aggression

Question 9

statistics that support chivalry thesis

Answer 9

all in 2009:
- 11% of women, yet 18% of men convicted of shoplifting were give a custodial sentence
- 11% of women, yet 30% of men convicted of violent crime were given a custodial sentence
- women spent an average of 25 months in prison for robbery, but men spent an average of 34 months

Question 10

problems with Official Statistics (3)

Answer 10

• female criminality may be under-represented, especially where male victims have a female offender
• estimated that 1 in every 6 men are victims of domestic violence where a female partner has assaulted them — this is not represented in criminal statistics largely due to men under-reporting
• **prostitution is also rarely exported as there is no clear victim

Question 11

define sociological explanations

Answer 11

• factors shaping people’s lives in society that steer some people into crime

Question 12

define biological explanations

Answer 12

• in-built characteristics mean some individuals are predisposed to committing crime

Question 13

Lombroso’s theory (short answer)

Answer 13

• believed outward appearance indicates criminality

Question 14

Eyesenck’s theory (short answer)

Answer 14

• believed introverts + extraverts have different likeliness of committing crimes