Explaining Female Crime Flashcards
How many explanations are there for female crime
4
What are the 4 explanations for female crime
Functionalism - Sex Role Theory
Feminism - Patriarchal Control
Feminism - Class and Gender Deal
Liberation Thesis
Who came up with the Sex Role Theory
Parsons
What is the Sex Role Theory
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
Who supports the view of Sex Role Theory
RR Murray - matriarchal family causes boys to commit crime
How do Feminsism criticise the Sex Role Theory
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
Which feminist is behind the Patriarchal Controls Theory
Heidensohn
What is the Patriarchal Controls Theory
Patriarchy controls women - decreasing the opportunity for women to offend
Affects in three areas: Home, Public and the workplace
What Patriarchal Controls exist within the Home
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
What Patriarchal Controls exist in Public
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
What Patriarchal Controls exists within the Workplace
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
What is the main criticism for Patriarchal controls as a theory to explain why women commit less crime
Patriarchy can be responsible for crime too
-Increase chance of women living in poverty = utilitarian crime
- Non-utilitarian crime out of frustration
Which feminist is behind the Class and Gender deals theory
Carlen
What is the Class and Gender Deal theory
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
What is the Class deal
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
What is the Gender deal
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
Which seperate theory links to the Class and Gender deals causing crime
Hirschi - people dont commit crime when they have bonds to society but when these weaken = crime
What is one criticism of the Class and Gender Theory
Study is not representative - only explain female WC crime (but this is more common in stats)
What is the last Theory for female crime
Liberation Thesis
What sociologist is behind the Liberation Thesis
Adler
What is the Liberation Thesis
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
Which theory of female crime links to Liberation Thesis and why
Heidensohn Patriarchal control - patriarchy reduce the opportunity for women to commit crime
-seems logicals that more liberation will increase female crime
What are three criticism of Liberation Thesis for increase in female crime
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
What are 3 further criticism for all theories of female crime
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
