CRIME AND DEVIANCE - Gender - 2) Heidensohn, Adler, Masculinity and Crime, Connell, Messerschmidt, Globalisation, Winlow

Question 1

What Sociologist identified the ‘Control Thesis’?

Answer 1

Heidensohn.

Question 2

(HEIDENSOHN) What is the ‘Control Thesis’?

Answer 2

Heidensohn suggested that patriarchal control in society was linked to female criminality!

She suggests that women are controlled in both the private and public spheres of life, which results in lower levels of female criminality!

Question 3

(HEIDENSOHN) Explain the ‘Ideology of Separate Spheres’!

Answer 3

She argued that there were separate areas that were dominated by men and women!

WOMEN = Dominant in the DOMESTIC SPHERE!

MEN = Dominant in PUBLIC and WORK SPHERES!

Question 4

(HEIDENSOHN) Explain the ‘Domestic Sphere’.

Answer 4

Here, women are RESTRICTED by their responsibilities in the home, such as looking after the children. Women, therefore, have NO time to commit crime! Expectations for women to be the perfect wife and the ‘dual burden’ leave little time / few opportunities for women to commit crime! = LIMITS WOMEN’S CRIMINALITY!

Question 5

(HEIDENSOHN) Explain the ‘Public and Work Sphere’.

Answer 5

Women are expected to be SUBMISSIVE to men in this sphere; men have more authority in the workplace, as seen by the hierarchies in businesses that are mainly full of male CEOs. This controls the opportunity for women to commit white-collar crimes!

Men control society through force and violence, whilst women are expected to be the ‘guardians of morality’; women have to be kind and caring, whilst men can be aggressive and dominant = CONTROLLING WOMEN THROUGH LEGITIMATE POWER AND VIOLENCE!

Question 6

(HEIDENSOHN) Give evidence of Patriarchal Control.

Answer 6

According to Heidensohn = Men use their dominance and status in society to control the actions of women.

This links to both Adler’s concept of liberation leading to more female criminality and control elements of Carlen’s gender and class deals!

Employment has become more feminised and women have more economic liberation→ HOWEVER = Only 1 in 3 CEOs are female; this shows male dominance in the public and work spheres!

Question 7

(HEIDENSOHN) What are the evaluating points for Heidensohn? HINT: Give as many as you can; there are 3 here!

Answer 7

1) Heidensohn’s research appears dated - There are more women working and greater involvement in work and public spheres. Women also have a lot more economic liberation now!

2) Rising female criminality suggests a loss of patriarchal control!

3) Women’s behaviour is often policed by females as well as males - Is this evidence of patriarchal control?

Question 8

What Sociologist identified the Liberation Thesis?

Answer 8

ADLER!

Question 9

(ADLER) How did Adler say that women’s liberation has resulted in more female crimes?

Answer 9

They said that a reduction in the patriarchy has led to women gaining more opportunities, have more freedom and access to commit crime in society, as they search for equality with men!

Question 10

(ADLER) What does Adler say enables women to commit more corporate crime?

Answer 10

Women are now in the workplace! Women are highly skilled, have more authority and access then ever before - Perhaps women who do commit crimes hope that they won’t be ‘noticed’ as much! HOWEVER = Only 1 in 3 women are CEOs, so how much access to women really have?

Question 11

(ADLER) Explain Adler’s Liberation Thesis.

Answer 11

Her basic idea was that, as women attain social positions similar to men, and, as the employment patterns of men and women become similar, so do their related crimes. Adler claimed to have found a cross-national correlation between levels of women’s economic freedoms and their crime levels.

Until the late 1960s, criminology was malestream. During the growth of second wave feminism, there was a growth of female crime.

According to Adler = Women who are deemed to lack ‘RESPECTABILITY’, such as single parents, punks and peace protesters, find it difficult to have their testimony believed by the court.

Question 12

What Sociologist identified ‘Types of Masculinity’?

Answer 12

CONNELL!

Question 13

(CONNELL) How many ‘Types of Masculinity’ did Connell identify + Can you name them?

Answer 13

4:

• HEGEMONIC - Heterosexual
• SUBORDINATE - Homosexual
• MARGINALISED - Crisis of Masculinity
• COMPLICIT - ‘New man’

Question 14

Explain what a ‘Dominant Prestigious’ man is.

Answer 14

The popular and most valued type of man! They are the breadwinner; they are dominant, powerful, tough, aggressive, the provider and are (usually) heterosexual!

Question 15

Explain what ‘Patriarchal Privilege’ is!

Answer 15

The advantage that men get simply for being a man! HOWEVER = Does it apply equally to all types of men?

Question 16

What Sociologist believes that Masculinity can be ‘Learned or Earned’?

Answer 16

James MESSERSCHMIDT!

Question 17

(MESSERSCHMIDT) What do they say about Masculinity?

Answer 17

They say that masculinity is a social construct or ‘accomplishment’–> It has to be learned or earned!

They say that men have to constantly work at constructing and presenting their masculinity to others!

Some men have more resources to draw upon than others, such as:

• Role models (socialisation)
• Peer group and friends (Sutherland and ‘Differential Association’)
• Network of male relatives
• Higher level of education

Question 18

(MESSERSCHMIDT) What does he say in regards to why some men may commit crime? HINT: Desired masculinity!

Answer 18

Crime and deviance may be a resource used by lower class / ethnic minority men to achieve the ‘accomplished masculinity’ of their middle class, white counterparts. Men are aiming for the dominant prestigious or hegemonic type!

Question 19

What are 3 Key Elements / Features that are part of being labelled with Hegemonic Masculinity?

Answer 19

1) Paid work / Type of employment

2) Subordination of women

3) Heterosexuality

Question 20

(MESSERSCHMIDT) Explain what he means by Subordinated Masculinities.

Answer 20

Men in these subgroups appear to challenge the hegemonic view –> They can, therefore, can be created to be ‘scapegoats’ and can get blamed for crime to divert attention away from the dominant group; this is why they appear more in the crime statistics

Question 21

(MESSERSCHMIDT) Name some of the ‘Subordinated Masculinity’ Subgroups who are often blamed for crime? HINT: Name as many as you can; there are 4 here!

Answer 21

• Gay men
• Working-class men
• Less educated men
• Ethnic minority men

Question 22

(MESSERSCHMIDT) What are the criticisms of Messerschmidt? HINT: Name as many as you can; there are 4 here!

Answer 22

• He doesn’t explain why all men don’t use crime to accomplish masculinity
• Doesn’t explain why crime appears in all classes/amongst all types of men
• He overuses the idea of hegemonic masculinity as an attempt to explain widely different types of male crime - can one explanation fit all types of male crime?
• His argument is unclear; is masculinity a cause of crime or just a description of male offenders?

Question 23

(GLOBALISATION) Because society has become industrialised, what does this lead to?

Answer 23

• Leads to a loss in traditional, manual jobs (crisis of masculinity)
• Leads to an expansion of night-time leisure economy

This allowed both legal expression of physicality, such as bouncers at nightclubs and the police, and the illegal expression of physicality, such as fights and using drugs!

So…has GLOBALISATION been POSITIVE or NEGATIVE for MEN?

Question 24

What Sociologist studied Bodily Capital and “Having the ‘Guns Out”?

Answer 24

WINLOW!

Question 25

(WINLOW) Explain the importance of Bodily Capital and “Having the ‘Guns out’” for men.

Answer 25

It helps men maintain their reputation and employability!

Men are also able to use their physical strength and violence to win fights and ‘look the part’ (strong and masculine) in order to discourage competitors from challenging them.

Question 26

(WINLOW) Explain how Middle-class men and both White and Black-working-class men earn money and demonstrate their masculinity!

Answer 26

Middle-class men (with accommodating masculinity) = Skilled / professional jobs - Legitimate work. They commit corporate crime and demonstrated their masculinity through the status of ‘boss’

White-working-class men = Manual labouring jobs / gang mentality / frustration about lack of suitable employment.

Black-working-class men = Manual labouring jobs / gang mentality (links to subcultures and status frustration)

Question 27

(WINLOW) Explain the types of behaviours that Middle-class men and both White and Black-working-class men use to contribute to the subordination of women!

Answer 27

Middle-class men (with accommodating masculinity) = Expecting women to stay home to raise children and do housework, earn enough to allow this, control finance → Parsons and the Sex Control Theory

White-working-class men = Normalising violence against women (less severe), objectification of women; the idea that women are better ‘indoors’

Black-working-class men = Musically through genres such as hip-hop / rap - objectification of women and the use of violence against women

Question 28

(WINLOW) Explain how Middle-class men and both White and Black-working-class men represent their heterosexuality (hegemonic masculinity)!

Answer 28

Middle-class men (with accommodating masculinity) = Playing sport, going to the gym, drinking, dressing in designer labels, marrying a woman, ‘couples’ dinner parties, fast cars

White-working-class men = Playing football, watching boxing, hanging out with the lads, reading page 3, whistling at women, tattoos, industrialised fashion, cars/bikes

Black-working-class men = Forming groups of mates, ‘lad culture’, gym/weight training and sport, ‘industrialised fashion’ - jeans, boots, interest in cars