gender and crime Flashcards
why do women commit less crime than men
- patriarchal control theory
- functionalist sex role theory
what is the patriarchal control theory
HEIDENSOHN argues women have at least one male figure in their life who doesn’t want them to commit crimes
what is the functionalist sex role theory
PARSONS argues that due to their biology and the way they are socialised, women are nurturing by nature and are incapable of committing a crime
why do men commit more crime than women
- masculinity
- globalisation
what does masculinity explain
it’s an accomplishment to men to be constantly at work and present themselves as manly to others (hegemonic masculinity)
what does globalisation explain
it has led to a decline in traditional manual jobs which WC males could express their masculinity through, however there’s been an increase in the night time leisure economy which has provided a combination of legal employment and criminal opportunities to express masculinity
explanations to women committing crime
- chivalry thesis
- liberation thesis
- class and gender deals
what is the chivalry thesis
men have a protective attitude towards women and so are more lenient to their crimes, so less likely to end up in official statistics
what is the liberation thesis
women are becoming more equal in society with men so commit more crime
what is the class and gender deals
class deal is that if you work too hard you will be financially rewarded in life, gender deal is that if you are a good mother and wife you will be treated well so if both deals break down women tend to turn to crime
what do sociologists say about official statistics show about men committing more crime than women
they disagree on the reasons why, some argue female offending rates go unnoticed and unpunished because the justice system treats women more preferably through ideas like chivalry thesis
