GENDER & CRIME

Question 1

Pollak - biological element.

Answer 1

Women are compelled to commit certain crimes due to their hormones and menstrual cycle.

Question 2

Pollak - myth.

Answer 2

The notion that men commit more crime than women is a myth, women can just manipulate men into committing crime for them.

Question 3

Lombroso - biological explanation.

Answer 3

Argues women do not poses enough intelligence to break the law.

Question 4

Thomas - biological explanation.

Answer 4

Argued that men and women essentially have different personality traits. Men are more active, and women more passive.

Question 5

Opposition to biological explanations.

Answer 5

Most sociologists consider the expectations of society and the process of socialisation to have a more significant impact on criminality.

Question 6

Smart - feminist explanation.

Answer 6

Looked at the stricter socialisation and control over girls within the family.

Question 7

Smart - roles.

Answer 7

For men committing crime is ‘role-expressive’ while, for women it is ‘role-distorting’.

Question 8

Adler - changes in female criminality.

Answer 8

There would continue to be an increase in female crime, as women leave the domestic sphere.

Question 9

Jackson.

Answer 9

‘Ladettes’ demonstrates this change in female criminality.

Question 10

Denscombe.

Answer 10

Teenage girls are adopting more traditionally male values.

Question 11

Home Office - changes in female criminality.

Answer 11

In 2013 males still accounted for 82% of arrests.

Question 12

Chesney-Lind - changes in female criminality.

Answer 12

Poor and marginalised women in the USA are more likely to be ‘criminals’ than ‘liberated’ middle class women.

Question 13

The chivalry thesis.

Answer 13

The male dominated CJS has a paternalistic attitude towards women.

Question 14

Speed & Burrows - evidence of chivalry.

Answer 14

Sentencing for shoplifting in 2004/5: male offenders were twice as likely to receive sentences.

Question 15

Klein - critique of chivalry.

Answer 15

Argues that the concept of chivalry is classist and racist, as it is only applicable to white, middle-class women who are seen as ‘ladies’.

Question 16

Heidensohn - chivalry thesis criticism.

Answer 16

Female offenders who conform to this maternal instinct will be treated more leniently, while those who do not will be treated more severely.

Question 17

Farrington and Morris - chivalry thesis.

Answer 17

Female offenders were far more likely to be first-time offenders and plead guilty.

Question 18

Hedderman & Gunby - chivalry thesis.

Answer 18

Awareness that female offenders have much more complex problems.

Question 19

Example for chivalry thesis.

Answer 19

Myra Hindley.

Question 20

Sex-role theory.

Answer 20

Contends that boys and girls are socialised differently, resulting in boys becoming more delinquent.

Question 21

Sutherland - sex-role theory.

Answer 21

Girls are supervised and taught to be more passive, while boys are encouraged to take more risks.

Question 22

Parsons - sex-role theory.

Answer 22

Girls have their role-model readily available, while boys do not, resulting in this ‘status anxiety’.

Question 23

Heidensohn - control theory.

Answer 23

Women experience four forms of control: at home, in public, at work and in social policy.

Question 24

Carlen - control theory.

Answer 24

Challenges it saying, the costs of criminal behaviour will usually outweigh the benefits for women.

Question 25

Messerschmidt - masculinity.

Answer 25

Looks at hegemonic masculinity and the pressures to accomplish this.

Question 26

Mosher - masculinity.

Answer 26

Characterises hegemonic masculinity as ‘hyper masculinity’.

Question 27

Baird - masculinity.

Answer 27

Young males tend to reproduce the existing versions of masculinity they are exposed to while growing up.

Question 28

Winlow - masculinity.

Answer 28

Found evidence of ‘crisis of masculinity’ in his study of working-class masculinity in Sutherland.

Question 29

Hanmer & Saunders - Leeds.

Answer 29

Unstructured interviews with women in Leeds, 20% of all respondents had been victims of sexual assault but not reported it.