Gender and statistics Flashcards
Although men are more likely to commit crime which genders crime rates are rising faster?
Do men and women commit the same crimes?
-Female crime rates are rising faster than male crime.
-NO. Men more likely to commit violent crime(e.g. 90% of homicides) . Although more likely to commit theft statistics are more even.
When was prison % for women in England and Wales at its lowest? What was it?
What is the prison population for women today?
-1968-69. The female population was 2%.
-Today the female prison population is 5%.
What are sociologists interested with when analysing the differences in gender and crime?
-Sociologists are interested in the impact of socialisation and gender roles.
How is normal ‘masculinity’ more prone to criminality than normal ‘femininity’ according to functionalist Parsons?
What is the marginalisation theory?
What theory is Freda Adler a proponent of?
-Parsons argue men have instrumental roles, women expressive role. Nurturing and caring less likely to lead to crime than providing and disciplining.
-A feminist view. Patriarchy means that women are marginalised in society. They therefore have fewer opportunity for crime or to establish criminal friendhsips.
-Liberation thesis. Freda Adler argue that other theories are outdated, changes in women’s social role coincides with sharp increase in female crime.
What theory does Frances Heidensohn use to explain why women commit fewer crimes?
What does it argue?
Why is this criticised?
-The Control theory.
-Women and girls are controlled more throughout their lives: girls by their fathers and perhaps male siblings; women by their husbands.
-Boys spend more time unsupervised and therefore have more opportunities for crime.
-Outdated, some argue this does not reflect the lives of women today.
-If this is the case, then Adler would again suggest this helps account for the significant rise in female crime.
Is it possible statistics for female crime are inaccurate?
What does Pollak argue?
YES. Women could be committing lots of crimes that are not making their way into the stats.
-Pollak argues that men’s protective attitude towards women means they are unwilling to arrest, charge, prosecute or convict.
What did Hood’s study of 3,000 defendants find?
What is the chivalry thesis?
What evidence disproves it according to Jones?
What did the case of Myra Hindley illustrate?
-Hood’s study found that women were 1/3 less likely to be jailed in similar cases.
-The idea that police and others working in the CJS tend to be men and therefore tend to protect women out of gentlemanliness, rather than convict thme.
-However, there is evidence to suggest that a lot of female prisoners were greatly influenced by a controlling male(Jones).
-Myra Hindley’s case shows that when women are found guilty of crimes they are often treated as ‘doubly deviant’ as they deviated against both law and gender norms.
How many women did Carlen study in 1988? What did she find?
What two deals lead working class women to conform according to Carlen?
Why did female convicts not conform?
-Carlen studied 39 working class women who had been convicted of a range of crimes.
-She found the most convicted serious female criminals are working class.
-The class deal- women who work will get a decent standard of living.
-The gender deal- women who conform to conventional domestic gender roles will gain the material and emotional rewards of life.
-In terms of the class deal the women in Carlen’s study failed to find legitimate ways of earning.
-In terms of gender deal, some had been abused by their fathers or partners. Over half spent time in care. As they gained nothing from either deal they had nothing to lose.
Why is feminist views to crime and the control theory criticised?
What do they ignore?
-They tend to see women’s behaviour as determined by external forces such as patriarchy or class and gender deals.
-They ignore the importance of free will and choice in offending.
What is an accomplishment for men according to Messerschmidt?
What is the dominant form of masculinity?
What is subordinated masculinity?
According to Messerchmidt is it just working class men who commit crime?
-Masculinity. It is something men have to constantly work at constructing and presenting.
-Hegemonic masculinity, is the dominant form of masculinity and the one that most men wish to accomplish. Defined through paid work, ability to subordinate women.
-Subordinated masculinity is mostly constructed by lower class or ethnic minority men, who lack the resources to accomplish hegemonic masculinity and so turn to crime.
-NO. middle class men commit white-collar or corporate crime to achieve hegemonic masculinity.
