gender and crime Flashcards
gender prison statistics
- 3,952 females were in prison at the end of june 2017
- july 2017: prison population in england and wales was 84,746 (men 80,794)
- number of women is growing much faster than men despite their crimes often being less serious
- when women are convicted 94% is for minor offences, compared to 74% males - crimes of the powerless
- official statistics show men are more likely to commit crimes
- women are less likely to be prosecuted
what is the chivalry thesis?
- the idea that women are less likely to be prosecuted for their crimes
- men who work in the CJS are more protective towards women
POLLAK - protective attitudes
- men have protective attitudes towards women, so they are less likely to be arrested and prosecuted, so females are unrepresented in the crime statistics
- problem: these ideas are out of date
- self report studies suggest that this may be true as females report less convictions
- females are also more likely to receive a caution
HOOD - study of defendants
study of 3000 defendants found that women are 1/3 less likely to be jailed in similar cases to men
points against the chivalry thesis
- shop lifting is a crime that women are more likely than men to be prosecuted for, despite similar offending levels
- many male crimes such as rape go unreported
feminists against the chivalry thesis
FARRINGTON AND MORRIS - lenient sentences
- found women are not sentenced more leniently for serious crimes.
- feminists argue the CJS is bias against certain women
feminists against the chivalry thesis
HEIDENSOHN - double standards
- females are treated harshly when they don’t conform to female norms
- double standards: teen girls often end up in care for underage sex whereas boys receive no punishment
feminists against the chivalry thesis
CARLEN - children in care
females in scotland were more likely to be given custodial sentences if their children were in care - seen as not good mothers
feminists against the chivalry thesis
WALKLATE - victim on trial
in many rape trials the victim seems to be the one on trial as their testimonies are often doubted.
what are the three theories used to explain the low female offending rate?
- sex role theory
- control theory
- liberation theory
FUNCTIONALIST SEX ROLE THEORY
TALCOTT PARSONS - gender roles
- females take the expressive role in caring and socializing children
- boys engage in ‘compensatory compulsory masculinity’ - risk taking and aggression
- men take the instrumental role, performed outside the house and this makes socialization difficult for boys
FUNCTIONALIST SEX ROLE THEORY
ALBERT COHEN - male role models
- without a male role model boys get anxious about their masculinity and identity - look for all male peer groups and street gangs
- right realists also support this argument blaming single parent families for high levels of crime
FEMINISM CONTROL THEORY
HEIDENSOHN - women are strictly supervised
- women commit fewer crimes than men because patriarchal society imposes greater control over women
- in the home women still have primary responsibility to raise children which involves commitment to conformity (dual burden/triple shift)
- men are able to impose this rule on women e.g. through the threat of domestic violence / financial power
- girls are strictly supervised and socialised into the role of housewife
- girls are more likely to develop a bedroom culture as teens - socialising at home rather than going out with friends
- expected to help around the house
FEMINISM CONTROL THEORY
control in work for girls
- women’s subordinate place in the workplace limits their opportunity to commit crime
- the ‘glass ceiling’ prevents women from rising to senior positions where there are more opportunities for white collar crime
FEMINISM CONTROL THEORY
control over girls in public spaces
(+LEES)
- fearful of male sexual violence
- media frightens women into staying home
- fear of being defined as not respectable (dress, makeup, behavior)
- don’t want a bad reputation
- women don’t go into pubs alone - fear of being seen as ‘loose’
- LEES found that boys maintain control over girls in schools with verbalised sexual abuse
