EXPLANATIONS FOR GENDER DIFFERENCES IN CRIME Flashcards
what 5 things do we have to remember for explaining the relationship between gender and crime?
func explanations - sex-role theory
feminist explanations
biological explanations for gender differences in criminality
recent changes in rates of female crim
masculinity - why do males commit more crime
what 2 names do we need to remember for func exp of gender diff in crime?
Sutherland
Parsons
sex-role theory shows…
boys and girls are socialised differently so boys commit more crime
Sutherland stated that..
there are clear gender differences when it comes to socialisation
Sutherland says that girls are…. and boys are….
girls are more supervised and taught to be domesticated and passive
boys encouraged to take risks and be tough and aggressive
functionalists say that when women become deviant….
due to their socialisation, such as being a tomboy or having brothers
Parsons says that men take on the what in the family….
fathers instrumental role requires him to be the leader and mothers have expressive role so give emotional support
According to Parsons….
girls have access to their role model freq as mother is at home, boys have less access to role model
since boys don’t have access to their role model…
they experience ‘status anxiety’ and cannot identify with correct sex
status anxiety experiences by young males leads to…
exaggerated masc behaviour and frustration
what do feminist explanations focus on?
why females don’t commit crime e.g. socialisation and control from patriarchal society
what 2 feminist do we need to remember for feminist explanations for diff in crime?
Smart and Carlen
what does Smart say?
girls have stricter socialisation in family and become ‘prisoners in their own home’
crime can be seen as ____ _________ for men and is an extension of….
‘role-expressive’ and is an extension of the male role of protector and dominant aggressor
crime can be seen as _____ _________ as it….. and female deviants are seen as…
‘role-distorting’ as it goes against their expected role of nurturer and carer, female dev seen as ‘double deviant’ and seen as unfeminine
Carlen states that..
women who commit crime believe that the benefits of crime outweigh the benefits of being a women, usually bought up in a way that doens’t reinf gender roles e.g. care
what 2 sociologists do we need to remember for bio exp for gender diff in crime?
Lombroso
Thomas
what does Lombroso say about criminals and women?
criminals were biological, women have natural passivity and are not smart enough to commit crime
Lombroso said women who are ‘born criminal’ show…
masculine traits and lack maternal instinct
Thomas argued that men and women have…
different personality traits, men are more active and women are more passive
Thomas said women require more what than men?
more social approval and affection and do this through domestic roles (MC)
Thomas says that poor women lack…..
socialisation and morality, so don’t take on submissive role and use sexuality for emotional gain
how can biological exp for gender diff in crime be criticised?
ignorance of econ issues poor women face
relies on biblical myth that women are scheming and manipulative
what 4 sociologists do we need to remember for recent changes in rates of female crim?
Adler
Chesney-Lind
James and Thornton
Gelsthorpe
Adler said that…
there has been a change in expected female behaviour, show ‘laddish’ beh and adopt values such as being hard and risk-taking
Chesney-Lind said that…
poor women more likely to be crim than ‘liberated’ MC women
down to econ and social situ than liberation as more women in male offences e.g. drugs
James and Thornton found women prisoners…
more likely to come from poverty and uneducated background
Gelsthorpe says that increase of women in prisons..
down to shift in sentencing policy and decline in chivalry and how society perceive women
what 3 sociologists do we have to remember for masculinity and why males commit more crime?
Messerschmidt
Mosher
Winlow
what does Messerschmidt says about masculinity?
hegemonic masculinity where young males are competitive, aggressive, violent and get reputation through sex, pranks and drinking
Mosher found…
hypermasculinity where males are dangerous and accepting of violent
Mosher says that men who are…. will show hypermasc
WC men who are jobless, sexist, in gangs, or have grown up around this
Winlow studied…
WC males in Sunderland, said mass unemploy men no status and violence was more significant
