Gender And Crime Flashcards
Crime patterns
-Men responsible for over 70% of all convicted crimes
90% murders and 98% of sexual offences
- men more likely to reoffend
-95% of prison population are men
Why is there an underrepresentation of women in crime
Less detectable as they commit less extreme crimes eg shoplifting where they take less extensive smaller items so less likely to be caught.
Chivalry thesis- women are less likely to be prosecuted as they will be treated more leniently by the courts and police who are mainly men as they’ve be raised to be chilvarous to women so less likely to charge or prosecute them.
Women more likely to commit alone whilst men commit in groups so are more detectable and therefore more likely to get caught.
Women dominate private sphere so less opportunity for crime. Men dominate public sphere where crime occurs.
Evidence against chivalry thesis -
Feminsits argue the CJS is bias against women and they’re treated more harshly.
-rape cases - male is often found not guilty and blame turns to the victim (women) how was she dressed? Etc
- domestic violence- dobash - not taken seriously seen as a domestic despite that should be handled privately.
- selective chilvary thesis- only chivalrous to women who follow the traditional female gender stereotype not to more ‘masculine women’
Why do women commit less crime and evaluation
> sex-role theory (persons) gender socialzation and different roles of men and women. Women have expressive roles (caring for family, emotions, being gental etc) these qualities don’t lead to crime. Women have more positive role model in the home.
❌- makes assumptions about role of women and assumes women are more nurturing
> social control theory- heidenson - womens domestic role of house care and childcare reduces their opportunity to commit a crime.
They commit less crime then men cause the amount if patriarchal control they’re subject to.
Also young girls who are less likely to be allowed out as much and as late as boys so adopt a bedroom culture and arnt in public sphere where crime occurs.
❌- patriarchal control can push women to commit crime not stop them
Another reason why women commit less crime - Carlen
Carlen - class and gender deals
-poverty, growing up in care or in an oppressive family are the main causes of criminality
-As they don’t want or can’t get the class (material rewards) or gender deal (family life and marriage) they have nothing to loose by committing crime to escape poverty.
- crime is sometimes the only route to a decent standard of living
❌suggests women commit crime because of external factors underplays the role of free will.
Summery of heidenson and carlen and evaluation
Heidenson show patriarchal controls that prevent women from offending
- carlen failure of society to deliver the class and gender deals to some women removes these controls that prevent women from offending
❌- blames womens offending on external factors and underplays the importance of free will
Growing female crime - What is the liberation thesis
Adler- as women become liberated from patriarchy there has been an increase in female crime.
Makes sense as patriarchal control was a restaint on female crime. They’re more confident and have more opportunity to commit crime eg business owners = white collar crimes and no longer confined to the private sphere.
- shown by an increase in more sever crimes eg murder, armed robbery, gangs
Cristism of liberation thesis
❌- female crime rates rising before liberation from patriarchy
❌- overestimates the liberation and how much extreme crime females commit still very much male dominated.
Another reason women commit more crime
Laddete culture- young women asserting their dominance and identity through drinking gangs violence.
Weakened gender stereotypes- more freedom and less stigma around women to be the care giver mother wife
Why do men commit more crime
Sex role theory -
less responsibility in house work and childcare more freedom and time to commit crime. Have to be tough and strong so more likely to engage in violent crimes.
Assert Masculinity - Connel
Men don’t want to be regarded as wimps or weak. Leads to turning to gangs as a source of masculine identity, show their power and strength through violence and aggression, violence against women to assert their dominance.
They do this when legitimate ways of showing dominance are blocked eg no job, not breadwinner, bad Ed.
Why do men commit more crime 2
More opportunity - they dominate the public sphere where most crime happens and likely to own business or be in high up jobs making them more subject to white-collar and corporate crimes.
Police labelling and stereotyping - men are stereotyped as being more violent and aggressive than women. This leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy on how they behave. Labelled as providers of the family and may turn to crime to achieve this.
Criticisms
❌- too deterministic- not all w/c will blocked opportunities to show their masculinity in legitimize ways go onto to commit crime.
❌- doesn’t explain why men who can legitimately assert their masculinity commit crime.
