Gender and Crime Flashcards
Describe official statistics for gender differences in offending/ sentencing/ victims
- 4/5 convicts in England and Wales are male
- higher proportion female for property offences
- higher proportion male for sexual offences
- males more likely to reoffend
- female crimes less likely to be reported
Explain Pollak’s concept of the chivalry thesis
- most criminal justice agents (men) socialised to act chivalrous and protective of women
- more lenient with women
- questions validity of official statistics
1/9 receive sentence for shoplifting, 1/5 men
evidence against: many male crimes unreported, sexual assault crimes
Heidensohn= bias towards women, double standards, motherhood
Parson’s sex role theory
- boys aggressive, risk taking,(instrumental)
- girls gentle and tender (expressive)
- feminists criticised this
Heidensohn’s patriarchal control thesis
- women are controlled, limited opportunities to offend
- control at home: childcare, domestic tasks
- dobash + dobash, domestic violence. control through financial power
- girls bedroom culture 54% women avoid going out after dark
- control at work, sexual harassment
Carlen’s class and gender deals
class deal= work, offered material rewards
gender deal= emotional rewards from husband
crime becomes more likely if these deals collapse, only route e.g lose job, husband lack of emotion
Adler’s liberation thesis
As women become liberated from patriarchy, crimes become more frequent and serious
- greater opportunities at work e.g commit fraud
- 1950s female offending 1/7 1990s 1/6
eval= most female criminals WC, not influenced by liberation, female crime rose before liberation movement
Gender and victimisation
- more women victims of intimate violence 31%
- 10x more women sexually assaulted
Messerschmidt’s views on masculinity and crime
Masculinity is a social constuct/ accomplishment
- hegemonic masculinity is the most dominant
white MC youths, white WC youths (Willis), black WC youths (gang)
eval= not all men use crime for masculinity
Winlow’s theorised link between globalisation
and crime
globalisation led to decline of traditional manual jobs unable to express masculinity.
Winlow bouncers in Sunderland can demonstrate masculinity through violence.
- men use bodily capital to maintain reputation