Gender

Question 1

GENDER DIFFERENCES

What % of reported offences are committed by women?
What % are committed by men?

Answer 1

20. 1%

79. 9%

Question 2

GENDER DIFFERENCES

How have female crime figures changed?

Answer 2

Risen by 25% since 1990s.

Question 3

GENDER DIFFERENCES

How do gender differences contribute to sexual offence statistics?

Answer 3

Men are 60 times more likely to be found guilty for sexual offences.

Question 4

GENDER DIFFERENCES

Give an example of a crime that is considered to be traditionally ‘female’.

Answer 4

Shoplifting smaller, less detectable items.

Question 5

HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN

What did Heidensohn (1989) outline?

(3)

(ignore, rehabilitation, culture)

Answer 5

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.

Question 6

HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN

What did Heidensohn (1989) outline are the 3 different spheres of control in society?

Answer 6

Domestic sphere pressure

Public sphere pressure

Social construction of femininity

Question 7

HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN

Heidensohn (1989) outlined 3 different spheres of control in society.
What is domestic sphere pressure?

Answer 7

People in the home will be ashamed if crime is committed so women fit into the role of traditional domesticity & not commit crime.

Question 8

HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN

Heidensohn (1989) outlined 3 different spheres of control in society.
What is public sphere pressure?

Answer 8

Typical expectation for women is to be the perfect housewife, creating increased pressure.

Question 9

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 ______.

Answer 9

a) girls
b) taught
c) behave
d) socialising
e) caring
f) dependent
g) non-criminal
h) hide
i) crime

Question 10

HIDDEN CRIMINAL WOMEN

What are the 4 assumptions of Heidensohn’s (1989) argument as to why women aren’t suspected as criminals?

Answer 10

Male dominance of offenders
Malestream sociology
Vicarious identification
Sociological theorising

Question 11

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?

Answer 11

It is usually assumed that offenders are male.

Question 12

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?

Answer 12

Sociology is malestream.

Question 13

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?

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

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?

Answer 14

Theories ignore women, likely because their crime isn’t as dramatic as male crimes.

Question 15

LIBERATION THESIS & LADETTE CULTURE

What is ‘ladette’ culture?

Answer 15

A masculinised culture for women where they adopt traditionally male behaviour like binge drinking & risk taking.

Question 16

LIBERATION THESIS & LADETTE CULTURE

What is Adler’s (1975) liberation thesis? (2)

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

CLASS & FEMALE CRIME

Briefly outline Carlen’s Class and Gender Deal.

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS

What is the biological explanation?

Answer 18

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’.

Question 19

BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS

What is an example of biological explanations being used to excuse women from crime?

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

SOCIETY & GENDER

What is the Chivalry Thesis outlined by Pollak (1950)?

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

POSTMODERNIST TRANSGRESSION

What did feminists begin feeling?

Answer 21

Sociology theories couldn’t explain female crime & it was just an add-on to male theories.

Question 22

POSTMODERNIST TRANSGRESSION

Smart (1990) introduced _________________.
It involved ________ what you think you _____ about _________/_________ theories & instead people should focus on ________ to understand _____, moving to a ____________ viewpoint.

Answer 22

a) transgressive criminology
b) ignoring
c) know
d) criminology/traditional theories
e) feminism
f) crime
g) liberal feminist

Question 23

POSTMODERNIST TRANSGRESSION

Postmodernists reject ________________.
Instead, they looked at _________ of ______, __________ and how the _____/_____ system treats ______ victims with the most _______ crimes held _____ them.

Answer 23

a) traditional perspectives
b) victimisation
c) women
d) domestic violence
e) police/legal
f) female
g) common
h) against

Question 24

MASCULINITY THEORY

What is hegemonic masculinity?

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

MASCULINITY THEORY

What did Connell (1987/2005) outline?

Answer 25

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.

Question 26

MASCULINITY THEORY

What does Connell’s (1987/2005) theory fail to explain?

Answer 26

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.

Question 27

POLICE DISCRETION

How does labelling contribute to gender differences in crime?

Answer 27

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.