Gender Flashcards
GENDER DIFFERENCES
What % of reported offences are committed by women?
What % are committed by men?
- 1%
79. 9%
GENDER DIFFERENCES
How have female crime figures changed?
Risen by 25% since 1990s.
GENDER DIFFERENCES
How do gender differences contribute to sexual offence statistics?
Men are 60 times more likely to be found guilty for sexual offences.
GENDER DIFFERENCES
Give an example of a crime that is considered to be traditionally ‘female’.
Shoplifting smaller, less detectable items.
HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN
What did Heidensohn (1989) outline?
(3)
(ignore, rehabilitation, culture)
Sociology ignores criminal women as 20% of offenders (likely women) aren’t processed by CJS.
Letting women escape punishment doesn’t provide equal rehabilitation chances.
It’s embedded in our culture (right-wing, functionalist family culture); women are submissive so society feels ashamed of criminal women & ignores them.
HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN
What did Heidensohn (1989) outline are the 3 different spheres of control in society?
Domestic sphere pressure
Public sphere pressure
Social construction of femininity
HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN
Heidensohn (1989) outlined 3 different spheres of control in society.
What is domestic sphere pressure?
People in the home will be ashamed if crime is committed so women fit into the role of traditional domesticity & not commit crime.
HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN
Heidensohn (1989) outlined 3 different spheres of control in society.
What is public sphere pressure?
Typical expectation for women is to be the perfect housewife, creating increased pressure.
HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN
Heidensohn (1989) outlined 3 different spheres of control in society.
The social construction of femininity is how ____ are ______ to ________, __________ them into ______ and _________, _________ roles. This is how women _____ from ______.
a) girls
b) taught
c) behave
d) socialising
e) caring
f) dependent
g) non-criminal
h) hide
i) crime
HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN
What are the 4 assumptions of Heidensohn’s (1989) argument as to why women aren’t suspected as criminals?
Male dominance of offenders
Malestream sociology
Vicarious identification
Sociological theorising
HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN
Heidensohn (1989) has 4 assumptions of her argument as to why women are suspected as criminals.
What is the male dominance of offenders assumption?
It is usually assumed that offenders are male.
HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN
Heidensohn (1989) has 4 assumptions of her argument as to why women are suspected as criminals.
What is the male dominance of sociology assumption?
Sociology is malestream.
HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN
Heidensohn (1989) has 4 assumptions of her argument as to why women are suspected as criminals.
What is the vicarious identification assumption?
If people see someone they identify with doing something, they believe it’s something they can do as well - mostly experienced by men; eg, majority of villains in films/criminals are men.
HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN
Heidensohn (1989) has 4 assumptions of her argument as to why women are suspected as criminals.
What is the sociological theorising assumption?
Theories ignore women, likely because their crime isn’t as dramatic as male crimes.
LIBERATION THESIS & LADETTE CULTURE
What is ‘ladette’ culture?
A masculinised culture for women where they adopt traditionally male behaviour like binge drinking & risk taking.
LIBERATION THESIS & LADETTE CULTURE
What is Adler’s (1975) liberation thesis? (2)
Increased female liberation creates more crime.
Traditional forms of control on young women are weakening; more leisure time spent time ‘on the streets’ so are more visible to formal & informal surveillance/control.
CLASS & FEMALE CRIME
Briefly outline Carlen’s Class and Gender Deal.
Society negotiates a class or gender deal with women. Class deal - stable employment & wealth in return for obedience in the workplace. Gender deal - emotional rewards through role of housewife but financially dependent.
BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS
What is the biological explanation?
Women are biologically different, which is why there’s less female criminals, eg they’re naturally more empathetic.
Dalton (1964) claimed when women do commit crime, it is due to ‘menstrual factors’.
BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS
What is an example of biological explanations being used to excuse women from crime?
Court Brown et al (1979) - a murder charge reduced to manslaughter using argument that PMS caused the women to kill. The word ‘automaton’ described the actions - it was out of her control.
SOCIETY & GENDER
What is the Chivalry Thesis outlined by Pollak (1950)?
Women are seen as weaker & not punished as police/courts are mostly male & would rather protect than punish.
Women only commit the crime in the first place because they weren’t protected.
POSTMODERNIST TRANSGRESSION
What did feminists begin feeling?
Sociology theories couldn’t explain female crime & it was just an add-on to male theories.
POSTMODERNIST TRANSGRESSION
Smart (1990) introduced _________________.
It involved ________ what you think you _____ about _________/_________ theories & instead people should focus on ________ to understand _____, moving to a ____________ viewpoint.
a) transgressive criminology
b) ignoring
c) know
d) criminology/traditional theories
e) feminism
f) crime
g) liberal feminist
POSTMODERNIST TRANSGRESSION
Postmodernists reject ________________.
Instead, they looked at _________ of ______, __________ and how the _____/_____ system treats ______ victims with the most _______ crimes held _____ them.
a) traditional perspectives
b) victimisation
c) women
d) domestic violence
e) police/legal
f) female
g) common
h) against
MASCULINITY THEORY
What is hegemonic masculinity?
A male identity that defines what’s meant to be a ‘real man’ as men who don’t want to be defined as ‘wimps’ through aggression & competitiveness etc.
MASCULINITY THEORY
What did Connell (1987/2005) outline?
Men can turn to crime/violence to assert hegemonic masculinity when legitimate means of demonstrating it are ‘blocked’, such as success at school or breadwinning. It is particularly common for men with working-class backgrounds. However, it fails to provide explanations as to why all men who don’t access traditional masculinity don’t turn to crime - not all male crime can be interpreted as an expression of masculinity.
MASCULINITY THEORY
What does Connell’s (1987/2005) theory fail to explain?
Why all men who don’t access traditional masculinity don’t turn to crime - not all male crime can be interpreted as an expression of masculinity.
POLICE DISCRETION
How does labelling contribute to gender differences in crime?
Police assumptions and stereotypes contribute to the differences in crime; they’re more likely to see men than women as potential offenders, label their behaviour as criminal and press charges against them.
They’re therefore more likely to appear in crime statistics.
