Gender And Crime

Question 1

What fraction of offenders are men?

Answer 1

4/5

Question 2

Gender differences in types of crimes committed

Answer 2

Higher proportion of female offenders are convicted of property offenves than men

Men are more likely to be repeat offenders and 15 times more likely to be convicted of homicide

Question 3

What is the chivalry thesis?

Answer 3

Most criminal justice agents eg police officers are men who are socialised to act in a chivalrous way towards women

Question 4

(Chivalry thesis) what does Pollak argue?

Answer 4

Men have a protective attitude towards women which results in the CJS being more lenient with them. This makes it look as though they commit less crime

Question 5

(Chivalry thesis) What were Graham and Bowling’s findings

Answer 5

In their researcg of 1700 14 to 25 year olds, men were more likely to offend but the difference between the genders was smaller than what was recorded in official statistics

Question 6

(Chivalry thesis) What were Hood’s findings in his study?

Answer 6

In his study of over 3000 defendents, women were 1/3 less likely to be jailed in similar cases

Question 7

Criticisms of chivalry thesis: Farrington’s study

Answer 7

In his study of the sentencing of 408 offences of theft, women were not sentenced more leniently for comparable offences

Question 8

(Chivalry thesis) Heidensohn’s feminist argument

Answer 8

The CJS is biased against women, not in favour of women if they deviant from gender norms

Question 9

Example of CJS being biased against women

Answer 9

Sharpe, in her analysis of youth worker recirds found that 7/11 girls were referred for support because they were sexually active but none f the 44 boys were

Question 10

Explaining female crime: functionalism

Answer 10

The instrumental role mainly occurs outside the house which means boys reject feminine behaviour and engage in anti social behaviour which can cause delinquency

Question 11

Argument supporting the functionalist explanation

Answer 11

New right sociologists argue that matrifocal lone parent families produce delinquency because of a lack of a male role model

Question 12

Walklate’s criticism of the functionalist explanation

Answer 12

Criticises it for its biological assumptions eg women can give birth so they are more suited to the expressive role

Question 13

Carlen’s gender and class deals

Answer 13

Women commit crime when society fails honour the class deal (working leads to a decent SoL) and the gender deal (adhering to partiarchal norms brings fulfilment)

Question 14

Criticism of Carlen’s class and gender deals

Answer 14

They seeing female behaviour as being controled by external factors eg patriarchal control