Feminism view of crime Flashcards
What percentage of prisoners make up men?
94%
What view does feminism have?
Women are pressed in society
All genders should be treated equally with same political, legal and social right
What assumptions does feminism have?
- crime is caused by a patriarchal (male dominated society)
- males more likely to commit crime than women
- masculinity is a problem for society
What are some explanations for gender differences in statistics?
- crime is seen as unnatural for women as they viewed as homemakers
- men commit crime to assert dominance due to their frustration of women trying to be equal as men
- women are more controlled in society so they have less opportunity
- chivilsry thesis- the courts fabour women as they’re male dominated, pity women and give them whiter sentences so they can go back into society and fit gender expectations
What does Heindensohn suggest?
- women are controlled in society through the home, public and at work so they have less opportunity to commit crime than men do
- Double deviance- women are treated more harshly by the courts by gaining against societal and gender expectations of women - opposes Carlin’s theory of chivalry thesis
How are women controlled in public ?
Women don’t go out into public places because of the fear of being attacked or raped.
found that 54% of women often or always avoided going out after dark because of fear of crime.
reporting of rapes and the unsympathetic attitude of some police officers and judges to rape victims act as forces controlling women.
Women also tend to limit their behaviour in public Places because of the risk of being labelled unrespectable. The wrong sort of dress, demeanour, makeup and even speech can damage your women’s reputation in the eyes of men.
How are women controlled at home?
Being a housewife directly restricts women by limiting the opportunities for criminality
- housework and the constant monitoring of young children leaves very little time for illegal activities.
- men may also use their financial power to control women’s behaviour. The family more closely controls daughters as well as wives. They are usually given less freedom than boys who may come and go as they please or stay out later at night, and girls are expected to spend more time doing housework.
How are women controlled at work?
- men are typically bosses of corporations in which women work for women
- 60% of women have reported sexual harassment at work
- glass ceiling theory: invisible barriers that prevents women from progressing in their careers based on their gender
What is Pat Carlens Chivalry Thesis?
- because the courts are male dominated , they pity women and view them as weak so they are more lenient so women get away with crime
What is the gender deal?
Breadwinner ( male) privided financial suppport and material rewards for his wife, as long as she up holds her deal as domesticated and provide him with affection
Therefore women are controlled by rewards as such
If the man does not keep his end of the deal, women can result to crime to gain finacial and material stability that*her husband didn’t provide - women are dependent and financially dependent on men
Evaluation of feminism
❌functionalism argues that feminist views crime too negatively and ignore the purpose that crime serves such as social control and cohesion
✅supported by statistics of 94% of prisoners are men in which suggests explanations for this
✅explains why women specifically commit crime and domestically
