Gender and Crime

Question 1

give 2 arguments why women may commit more crimes than statistics suggest

Answer 1

-typical female crimes eg shoplifting less likely to be reported or noticed compared to sexual/violent crimes
-property/ petty offences not always prosecuted and easier to get away with

Question 2

give a statistic about convicted offenders

Answer 2

-4/5 convicted offenders in England/ Wales are male

Question 3

what crimes are males and females more likely to commit

Answer 3

-women = property offences
men = violent or sexual offences

Question 4

what are the three main theorists and theories on why women may commit fewer crimes

Answer 4

-Pollak’s chivalry Thesis
-Parsons Sex Roles
-Heidensohn Patriarchal Control

Question 5

explain Pollak’s chivalry thesis

Answer 5

-justice system made up of mainly men treats women more leniently due to socialisation making them chivalrous

Question 6

give two pieces of evidence that support Pollak’s chivalry thesis

Answer 6

-women more likely to be released on bail rather than custody
-women more likely to receive fines/ community sentences and receive shorter prison sentences

Question 7

why is there limited evidence for Pollak’s chivalry thesis

Answer 7

-only explains women absence in official stats and justice system would deny bc of professionalism

Question 8

give two pieces of evidence that discredit Pollak’s chivalry thesis

Answer 8

-Farrington and Buckle found twice as many male shoplifters despite official stats, suggests women prosecuted more
-self report studies find men commit more offences

Question 9

explain Parson’s sex roles theory

Answer 9

-due to biology and socialisation process women are nurturing/ deterred from crime
-boys reject feminine models of behaviour and engage on compensatory compulsory masculinity which leads to delinquency

Question 10

what roles does Parsons argue men and women have

Answer 10

-men=instrumental breadwinners
-women = expressive role

Question 11

which two theorists support lack of male role models as a cause of crime (Parsons Sex Role)

Answer 11

-Cohen
-Murray

Question 12

give two evaluations of Parson’s Sex Role theory using a theorist

Answer 12

-Sandra Walklate criticises biological assumptions
-outdated and ignores other factors

Question 13

explain Heidensohn’s Patriarchal Control theory

Answer 13

-women have at least one male role figure in their life who does not want them to commit crime
-women are controlled at home, in public and at work

Question 14

explain Heidensohn’s argument that women are controlled in the home (3)

Answer 14

-domestic housework confines women and reduces opportunities to offend
-women less likely to be given funds for leisure and to be able to come and go
-bedroom culture develops and less oppourtunity

Question 15

explain Heidensohn’s argument that women are controlled in public (3)

Answer 15

-controlled by threat of male violence
-worsened by sensationalist media reporting of sexual/ violent crimes
-Lees argues women are controlled by her of being labelled loose or slags

Question 16

explain Heidensohn’s argument that women are controlled in work (3)

Answer 16

-control through sexual harassment keeping women in their place
-glass ceiling prevents opportunity for white collar crime
-inequality in pay/ labour market make women more likely to be poor and commit utilitarian crimes

Question 17

what are the two main theorists and theories for explaining female crimes

Answer 17

-Adler’s Liberation Thesis
-Carlen Class and Gender Deals

Question 18

explain Carlen’s Class and Gender Deals

Answer 18

-crime occurs when women lose both class and gender deals
-class deal = work hard get rewards
-gender deal = good mothers/ wives are treated well

Question 19

what was Carlen’s study (3)

Answer 19

-39 15-46 year olds studied
-majority always been in poverty, many had been in care or abused by male figures
-turned to crime for decent standard of living and failure to re enter society

Question 20

give 4 evaluations of Carlen’s class and gender deals

Answer 20

-ignores abusive men
-undermines women’s free will
-single women not accounted for
-not representative

Question 21

give 2 examples of women losing class and gender deals

Answer 21

-Shakira embezzlement
-Abby Lee Miller tax fraud

Question 22

explain Adler’s liberation thesis

Answer 22

-women are now becoming more equal in society which results in more crime as they adopt traditional male roles in both work and crime

Question 23

give an example of Adler’s liberation thesis

Answer 23

-Ladette moral panic in the 90s
-increase of females committing embezzlement

Question 24

evaluate Adler’s liberation thesis (4)

Answer 24

-female criminality rose in 50s, before liberation movement
-are prostitution and drug related crimes liberating?
-not everyone with masculine traits commit crime
-m/c women more liberated but w/c commit more

Question 25

how do females and violent crime support Adler’s liberation thesis (theorist)

Answer 25

-Hand and Dodd found between 2000-2008 female arrests for violence rose by 17%

Question 26

what theorist argues there is not a rise in female crime

Answer 26

-Sharpe argued that court professionals were influenced by media stereotypes of layettes and believed girls behaviour was worsening

Question 27

give two stats on homicide and gendered victimology

Answer 27

-70% homicide victims are male but women are more likely to know their killer

Question 28

give two stats on sexual assault and gendered victimology

Answer 28

-10x more women have reported sexual assault than men
-only 8% women experienced sexual assault reported it due to lack of faith in police

Question 29

what are the 3 main theories and their theorists for why men commit crime

Answer 29

-Messerschmidt’s masculinity
-Winlow’s crisis of masculinity
-Lyng’s Edgework

Question 30

explain Messerschmidt’s theory of masculinity

Answer 30

-masculinity is a social construct, hegemonic masculinity is primary type
-some men have subordinated masculinity eg gay, w/c minority men
-crime used to accomplish masculinity

Question 31

give an example of Messerschmidt’s theory of masculinity

Answer 31

-white w/c youth must subordinate to teachers in education and commit street crime outside school
-m/c use elite crime instead

Question 32

evaluate Messerschmidt’s masculinity theory

Answer 32

-does it explain male criminality or just describe it
-masculinity is changing
-not all men commit crime

Question 33

explain Winlow’s masculinity crisis theory

Answer 33

-globalisation led to decline in traditional male jobs and an increase in night leisure economy which provided legal employment and criminal opportunity to express masculinity instead
-now body shape defines masculinity eg bouncers

Question 34

evaluate Winlow’s masculinity crisis theory(4)

Answer 34

-female bouncers too
-not all bouncers seek criminal opportunity
-not all men feel emasculated by globalisation
-increased nightlife for women as well

Question 35

explain Lyng’s edge work theory

Answer 35

-young males seek pleasure through risk taking eg joyriding and fights
-they accomplish masculinity through risks unlike women

Question 36

give two media examples of Lyng’s edgework theory

Answer 36

-Nerve with Emma Roberts
-BBC 2015 boy fell from Moscow bridge taking selfie