Gender and Crime Flashcards
What are some stats that show gender patterns of crime?
Men 15x more likely to commit homicide
-TV licence evasion most likely crime to be commited by women (75%)
-96% of prison population is men
What is the Chivalry Thesis?
Pollak
-Most Criminal justice agents are men so less likely to prosecute women as they feel protective of them/ ‘damsels of distress’
-links to parsons expressive vs instrumental roles
Do official statistics support the chivalry thesis?
Yes;
-Females more likely to be fined vs men sentenced
-Females more likely to be released on bail
No; self report studies show men commit more crimes, thus womens is not being underreported
How is the CJS arguably biased against women? According to Heidenson
Double standards- courts punish girls more harshly for promiscuous behaviour e.g Sue Sharpes study of 55 youth offender records, 7/11 girls put in care for promiscuity vs 0/44 boys
-also women who do not conform to standards of monogamous heterosexuality and motherhood are punished more harshly by CJS
What is Carlens view
How does Carlen support the view that there is bias against women in the CJS
Believes women are not judged for the seriousness of their crime but instead how good of a mother, daughter and wife they are.
-Scottish judges more likely to jail women who have children who are in care
-girls whose parents believe they are out of control more likely to be given custodial sentences
How can the way the CJS deals with rape cases support the view of Bias against women
Sexist, victim blaming remarks by judges
-Adler argues so,em who are deemed to lack respectability e.g single mothers less likely to be believed in court
How can the functionalist sex role theory explain gender differences in crime
-due to the way children are socialised
-Women were socialised into expressive, caring role
-Men socialised into rough, risk taking = commit crimes of violence
How does Walklate criticise Parsons sex role theory
Has biological assumptions, assumes that because women can bear children they are naturally more suited to expressive role
According to Heidensohns view on patriarchal control, what are the three ways women are controlled
Control at home, work and in public
According to Heidensohn, How are women and girls controlled at home
Women constantly at home doing house work and childcare, no time/opportunity to commit offences.
Women cannot reject domestic tasks due to threat of DV
-daughters movements restricted e.g not allowed out so develop ‘bedroom culture’ so less time outside to offend in public
How are women controlled in public? According to Heidensohn
-Fear of male attacks due to media sensationalism control women’s movements e.g not going out late at night
-Fear of being seen as not respectable mean women may not travel to certain places e.g pubs which are the sites of large amount of crime, as they fear being labelled as ‘loose’
How are women controlled at work according to Heidensohn?
Male supervisors/coworkers control womens behaviour e.g through sexual harrasment
-glass ceiling mean women cannot reach more senior positions so less oppurtuinity to commit white collar crimes e.g fraud.
What are class and gender deals?
Carlen
Class deals- material rewards e.g economic stability for working hard
Gender deals- emotional rewards from family life for conforming to traditional gender role
What was Carlen study of female offenders and how does it support class and gender deals
39 female offenders
- Women failed to find a way to earn decent living (didn’t get class deal) so turned to crimes
E.g 2/3 of them had always been in poverty, some found it humiliating/problematic to try claim benefits , qualifications gained in prison didn’t allow them to get jobs IRL
-women saw few rewards from conforming to gender roles (getting gender deal) or saw few opportunities to e.g due to abuse by father in childhood, grew up in care so no family ties
-Thus had nothing to lose and everything to gain
How can Carlen and Heidensohns explanations of female crime be criticised?
Ignores free will in offending
-Carlen sample was small and underrepresentative (only w/c, serious offenders)
What is the liberation thesis?
Adler
Women now free from patriarchal control and so have more traditionally male oppurtunites (legitmate and illegitimate)
-Leading to an increase in female offending
According to the liberation thesis, how has female crime patterns changed?
Women no longer just commiting traditional crimes e.g shoplifting. They now commit ‘male’ crimes e.g white collar/violent crimes
-More women in senior positions so more oppurtunity for White collar
What evidence supports the liberation thesis?
-Rise of ‘girl gangs’
-Studies show rising female paricipation in previously ‘make crimes’ e.g embezzlement and armed robbery
-Increase in female violent crimes
How can the liberation thesis be criticised?
-Liberation may not cause female crime as crime rate increased in 1950 before liberation
-most female criminals are w/c who are the least liberated
How can the view that female violent crimes have increased be criticised?
Rise in police statistics of violent crimes was not matched by victim surveys.
-Self report studies showed no increase
What is net widening?
Steffensmeier and Schwarz argue female crime is not increasing it is instead….
- ‘Defining deviance up’ (Young)
-less serious forms of violence seen as criminal e.g women being arrested for DV despoite being victim, arrests for fights WITHOUT weapons
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How can self fulfilling prophecy and amplification spiral explain the increase in female criminalisation?
-Media creates moral panic about female violence by depicting idea of drunk, disorderly female looking for fights
-Makes indivduals thing girls behaviour worsening
-courts therefore take tougher stance abd convict more
What are the stats of victimisation?
-Men more likely to be victims
-1 in 4 women experience DV
-Women more likely to be victimised by acquaintances , men by stranger
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What are the homcide stats?
-Women more likely be partner/ ex partner (60%)
-70% homicide victims are male
According to Messerschmit, what are the two types of masculinities?
Hegemonic-Dominant form of masculinity, associated with success, heterosexuality, dominance over women
Subordinated- no desire/ have no resources for hegemonic masculinity (gay,disabled/EM) often partake in crimes for status
What are the class and ethnic differences in types of masculinity according to Messerschmidt?
white m/c- accommodate e to school with subordinated masc. Oppositional masculinity in public e.g vandalism, drinking
White w/c- less chance of educational success so oppositional in/out of school e.g sexism (Laddish subculture-willis)
Black w/c- express masculinity on street due to low expectations of getting good job
How can Messerschmidt be criticised?
-Does this explain male crime or just describc characteristics
-not all men commit crimes for masculinity
How can postmodernism and globalisation explain male crime?
-Deindustrialisation means less jobs to express masculinity through
–widening of service sector e.g pubs, clubs and bars allow masculinity to be expressed and also provide criminal opportunities
How does WInlow support the view that globalisation has lead to crime?
BOuncers in Sunderland could excercise masculinity through violence as well as commit crimes in work place e.g distribution of drugs
-use their bodily capital to demonstrate masculinity
What is bodily capital?
Men express masculinity in postmodern society by ‘looking the part’
