Gender Flashcards
in most counties, men commit significantly less crime compared to women - what is this known as?
the ‘gender-crime gap’
in 2014, in England and Wales, what percentage of prisoners were men?
95%
why do females appear to commit less crime?
LESS DETECTABLE OFFENCES
steal smaller items
SEX ROLES & SOCIALISATION
- women adopt female characteristics (take less risks)
CONTROL THEORY
Carlen (1988)- controlled in domestic (less opportunity due to home life responsibilities) and public sphere (‘glass ceiling’ as work, less opportunity for cooperate crime)
GENDER DEAL & CLASS DEAL
Carlen (1988) suggested women are encouraged to conform by:
gender deal- material rewards from working allow purchase of consumer goods
CHIVALRY THESIS
Pollak (1950) , male-dominated CJS has more benevolent, protective and patriarchal view of women, often being more lenient
POLICE ASSUMPTIONS & STEROTYPING
labelling theorists suggest women less likely to be watched, labelled, caught and subsequently become a criminal statistic.
evaluate the Chivalry thesis as an explanation as to why it appears that women commit less crime.
+ according to the Home Office, and supported by statistics from The Ministry of Justice, women are consistently treated more leniently by the law.
-women’s less harsh treatment is due to them committing less serious offences.
-women generally have more ‘mitigating factors’ (show genuine remorse, compared to men who have more aggravating factors.
feminists view the CJS as patriarchal- why?
feminists disagree with the idea women are treated less harshly- infact , feminist writers such as Carlen (1988) argue women face ‘double jepordy’
this means they are judged and punished not only for the crime they committed but are also judged in terms of their performance as a mother/wife.
this links with the ‘evil woman theory’ , in which women who are sexually promiscuous, violent or neglectful mothers are viewed much more harshly than men in a similar position.
How did Heidensohn (1996) criticise the chivalry thesis?
argued women who violate socially acceptable patterns of feminine behaviour risk harsher punishment - face double jeopardy- on trial for both the crime and the extent to which they have deviated from their femininity.
outline the assertion of masculinity theory
Connell (1987, 2005) - suggests there is hegemonic masculinity associated with the traditional masculine image in the world.
the male gender identity involves independence, toughness, risk taking and power over women, the male peer group reinforces these tendencies
Messerschmidt (1993)- men are socialised into hegemonic masculinity and sometimes turn to crime and violence when legitimate means of asserting their masculinity are blocked. (being breadwinner, having stable family) As a result, they then seek out alternative ‘masculine-validating resources’ (violence, assertion against women) These ideas of what masculinity is are reinforced by the media.
evaluate the masculinity theory
doesn’t explain why all men who don’t have legitimate ways of accessing masculinity don’t turn to crime
not all male crime can be interpreted as an expression of masculinity
Messerschmidt (2005) argues that construction of hegemonic masculinity takes place in different contexts and through different methods dependent on the male’s access to power and resources -
how can this be seen in different classes?
middle class men may reinforce their success ( a feature of masculinity) through educational and sporting success however working-class men may not have access to this and therefore may oppose the teacher, for example in Willis’ study (1977).
explain how globalisation may have increased crime
globalisation has led to a shift from modern industrialised society to post-modern deindustrialised society.
this led to a loss of many manual jobs in which working class men expressed their masculinity through hard physical labour
expansion of service sector provided opportunity for some men to earn money and also engage in lucrative criminal opportunities- allowing them to express their masculinity
Winlow (2001) studied bouncers in Sunderland- showed being bouncers, men were able to engage in paid work and illegal drug dealing
This study showed how expression of masculinity changes as society shifts, opening up opportunities for crime.
explain why there may be a growth in female criminality
liberation thesis - Adler (1975), changing gender roles means women now have more freedom and old controls are weakening
‘ladette’ culture- Denscombe (2001), more masculinised culture in which girls adopt typically masculine behaviours
CJS response - Silvestri (2012), evidence suggests reported increase in girls’ violence is due to the changes in labelling and criminalisation of girls’ bad behaviour, evidence CJS is now acting in a more serious way.
what do feminists argue about female crime?
female offenders are often forgotten
Heidensohn (1996) - reasons for women’s invisibility:
academics in sociology were mainly men
less to study, less detectable offences
Smart (1976)
women seen as double offenders
