Explaining Female Crime

Question 1

How many explanations are there for female crime

Answer 1

4

Question 2

What are the 4 explanations for female crime

Answer 2

Functionalism - Sex Role Theory
Feminism - Patriarchal Control
Feminism - Class and Gender Deal
Liberation Thesis

Question 3

Who came up with the Sex Role Theory

Answer 3

Parsons

Question 4

What is the Sex Role Theory

Answer 4

Crime links back to gender roles in nuclear family
Women perform expressive role and men perform the breadwinner role - as a result boys have no present role model during socialisation and they distance themselves from feminine behaviour ‘Compensatory compulsory masculinity’ - be agressive and antisocial in subcultures as source of masculine identity
Girls commit less crime as they have an active role model at home

Question 5

Who supports the view of Sex Role Theory

Answer 5

RR Murray - matriarchal family causes boys to commit crime

Question 6

How do Feminsism criticise the Sex Role Theory

Answer 6

Walklate- criticises assumption females better at expressive role
Role of the new man - stay at home dad
Women can socialise boys effectively and act as a role model
Male breadwinners can still be role model for boys by going to work

Question 7

Which feminist is behind the Patriarchal Controls Theory

Answer 7

Heidensohn

Question 8

What is the Patriarchal Controls Theory

Answer 8

Patriarchy controls women - decreasing the opportunity for women to offend
Affects in three areas: Home, Public and the workplace

Question 9

What Patriarchal Controls exist within the Home

Answer 9

Girls and Bedroom culture encouraging to stay home for safety
Domestic abuse against women
Expressive role takes up alot of womens time - dual burden
Domestic role = unpaid and financially dependant on men- less leisure time out of home

Question 10

What Patriarchal Controls exist in Public

Answer 10

Dont go out due to fear of crime against them - sexual, voilent, Sarah Everard
Crime survey ofund 54% of women avoid going out at night compared to 14% of men
Fear of stigma of being in public places such as pubs
Women in public often for leisure is related to children and child areas

Question 11

What Patriarchal Controls exists within the Workplace

Answer 11

Glass ceiling and limit to top positions = cannot commit corporate crime
Sexual harassment a form to enforce subordination
Womens behaviour monitored and controlled by male managers through harassment

Question 12

What is the main criticism for Patriarchal controls as a theory to explain why women commit less crime

Answer 12

Patriarchy can be responsible for crime too
-Increase chance of women living in poverty = utilitarian crime
- Non-utilitarian crime out of frustration

Question 13

Which feminist is behind the Class and Gender deals theory

Answer 13

Carlen

Question 14

What is the Class and Gender Deal theory

Answer 14

Based on research using unstructured interviews, 39 15-46 aged WC women
Most women are controlled into conforming to legal behaviour through ‘deals’
If it feels like they will not gain reward from deal = crime

Question 15

What is the Class deal

Answer 15

Women who work hard will gain material rewards (decent SOL and leisure opportunities)
WC women more likely to be in poverty (32/39) = more chance of committing crime

Question 16

What is the Gender deal

Answer 16

If women conform to gender roles they promise material and emotional rewards from family
WC women more likely to be abused, grow up in case, spend time in the care system with less bonds to family friends = more chance of committing crime

Question 17

Which seperate theory links to the Class and Gender deals causing crime

Answer 17

Hirschi - people dont commit crime when they have bonds to society but when these weaken = crime

Question 18

What is one criticism of the Class and Gender Theory

Answer 18

Study is not representative - only explain female WC crime (but this is more common in stats)

Question 19

What is the last Theory for female crime

Answer 19

Liberation Thesis

Question 20

What sociologist is behind the Liberation Thesis

Answer 20

Adler

Question 21

What is the Liberation Thesis

Answer 21

As patriarchal control lessons, women gain liberation = more crime by women
Changes in society structure - decrease level of discrimination, opportunities in education and work have become more equal
Increase in female arrest for ‘typically male crime’ - voilent and WCC
Denscombe and Girl Gangs - female more likely as males to engage in risk-taking behaviour

Question 22

Which theory of female crime links to Liberation Thesis and why

Answer 22

Heidensohn Patriarchal control - patriarchy reduce the opportunity for women to commit crime
-seems logicals that more liberation will increase female crime

Question 23

What are three criticism of Liberation Thesis for increase in female crime

Answer 23

Increase in female crime is not due to freedom
- started to rise before liberation movement
Cannot explain why WC women have a increase crime rate
- least liberated group
Radical feminist - over-exaggerates the extent to which women has been liberated and therefore the opportunity females have for crime

Question 24

What are 3 further criticism for all theories of female crime

Answer 24

Netwidening: CJS now arrest female for less serious forms of voilence than before
Chesney-Lind: In US both are arrested in domestic voilence case - eventhough women are most likely to be a V
Sue Sharpe - Moral Panic about girls - CJS influenced by media representations of voilent ‘ladettes’ so quicker to arrest and punish women compared to in the past - lead to SFP and deviancy amplification