Feminism Flashcards
Carol Smart
Neglected Female Criminology
Female criminality is comparatively neglected
Due to women committing fewer crimes than men, so female offenders are seen as less of a problem for society
Dobash & Dobash
Violence Against Wives
The patriarchal CJS doesn’t take domestic violence seriously
In rape trials it is often the female victim who is on trial to assess their truthfulness rather than the actions of men
Men are rarely held accountable
Steward
Arguments against Chivalry
Conviction is based on seriousness of offence and not chivalry, women commit far less serious crimes
Farrington & Morris
Arguments against Chivalry
Women were not sentenced more leniently for comparable offence
Francis Heidensohn
Double Standards
When women commit crime considered masculine, they receive harsher sentences
CJS is influenced by ideas of gender stereotypes
Women are treated more harshly when they deviate from social norms of femininity
Carol Smart & Ann Oakley
Differential Gender Socialisation
Males:
-socialised aggressive, masculine, individualistic behaviour, take risks
Females:
-caring, tenderness, cooperation, less likely to take risks
-females are supervised more than males
Sandra Walklate
Gender & Types of Crime
Crimes associated with women:
-shoplifting, prostitution and benefit fraud
-these are motivated by economic necessity
Crimes associated with men:
-murder, rape, sexual assault
-In rape cases, it is the female victim rather than the male offender on trial
John Hagen
Power, Control & Women
Suggests that young females who are characterised why patriarchy had greater gender differences in delinquency, compared with more egalitarian homes
Egalitarian:
-females encouraged to take risks
-related to crime
Patriarchal:
-females encouraged to avoid risk taking behaviour
-less likely to engage in crime
Frances Heidensohn
Differential Control Theory
Women commit so few crimes because of the ways in which they are controlled by patriarchy, the control of women takes place in 3 areas:
- Domestic Control - women are controlled in their homes and have less freedom, their time is occupied by housework and denied opportunities to be out at night
- Control in Employment - women are in lower positions of responsibility, so they have less opportunities for white collar crime
- Control in Public Spaces - women are constrained by their fear of sexual violence, men intimidate women in public or are abusive
Pat Carlen
Gender & Class Deal
Women generally don’y commit crime because they accept the rewards that come from conformity to social norms
Gender Deal - women wish to be seen as respectable in order to gain the benefits that come from being a partner, such as support from a husband
Class Deal - women from working class homes expect to be able to earn a good living from employment
Rejection of Gender Deal - women who commit crime had been ‘freed’ from family life, or so closely supervised they felt oppressed by the family and resisted the gender deal, rebelling against the constraints of the family
Rejection of Class Deal - poverty and being brought up in care, attempts to find a legitimate way of earning a decent living has been blocked, crime is a way of resisting the injustice and trying to resolve the issue of inequality
Pat Carlen
Rational Choice
Suggests that working class females commit crimes because they lack the four bonds that prevent most people from committing crimes: attachment, commitment, involvement, belief
Some women make a rational choice to commit crime, as they have nothing to lose
Freda Adler
Liberation Thesis
As society becomes more equal, women’s crime rates will rise
Women’s liberation and equality will provide greater opportunity for women to participate in crime
As women are entering the labour market, they’re moving into criminal careers and conflict gangs
