GENDER CRIME AND JUSTICE Flashcards
Heidensohn - most crime by men
4/5 offenders in wales and England men
By age 40, 9% females had criminal conviction and 32% of males
Men more likely to have repeated offences + longer criminal careers and commit serious crimes.
Do women commit crime
Female crime eg shoplifting less likely to be reported- less media attention
Even when reported less likely to be prosecuted and will be let off easily.
Chivalry thesis
Haralambos and Holborn
Most criminal justice agencies e.g. the police and courts Are men and they are socialised to act in a chivalrous way towards women.
14% of women and 26% of men given prison sentences
Criminal justice system more lenient with women so crimes less likely to end up in official statistics – gives invalid picture that exaggerates gender difference in rates of offending
Women are more likely to be cautioned instead eg 49% females cautioned in 2007 ministry of justice men only 30%
Bias against women A03 to chivalry thesis
Frances Heidensohn
Courts treat females were harshly than men when they deviate from gender norms. For example “double standards” – call punish girls but not boys for premature or promiscuous sexual activity.
Child abuse
Courts often reluctant to imprison mothers with young children
Women who don’t conform to excepted standards of monogamous heterosexuality and motherhood are punished more harshly
FEMINIST = double standards due to patriarchy
Functionalists sex role theory (biological factors for crime in gender)
Parsons = Men take instrumental role and women the expressive role. Boys in the family reject feminine models of behaviour expressing emotion instead distance themselves and engage in compensatory compulsory masculinity through aggression and antisocial behaviour leading to delinquency. Men have less socialising role. Girls more socialised to be nice and nurturing and more supervised - restricting opportunity compared to boys.
Female role less aggressive and the values they’re socialised into eg passive don’t make them become a criminal
Boys socialised to be aggressive/ powerful and dominant
Also lack of male role model means boys more likely to join street gangs as sort of masculine identity
Ultimately based on biological assumptions about sex differences
Family and education give these qualities - secondary and primary socialisation
Heidensohn - (patriarchal) control theory
Women are conformists + commit if you are crimes as patriarchal society imposes greater control reduces opportunity to offend.
Control @ home = Domestic role imposes restrictions for women confines them to the home
Control in public = Controlled by threat of male violence against them especially sexual violence 54% Women avoid going out after dark fear being victims of crime.
Control @ work = Controlled by male supervisors and managers. Sexual harassment widespread keeps women in their place. Women subordinate position reduce opportunity - glass ceiling prevents women to rise higher position with opportunities available
Carlen - class and gender deals
Study of 39 15–46 yr old w/c Woman convicted for range of crimes. Most convicted serious female criminals are working-class. Working-class women generally lead to conform through the promise of two types of rewards or deals: -class deal= Women who work be offered material reward with decent living standards and leisure opportunities
-gender deal = Patriarchal ideology promises women material and emotional reward from family life by conforming to norms of domestic role
If these rewards not available or worth effort crime mor likely which was the case in his study.
Poverty/brought up in care/oppressive family life main causes of criminality
Liberation thesis - ADLER
As women more liberated from picture rocky crimes more frequent and serious.
Change in society = greater opportunities in education lack of patriarchal control.
As a result women commit male offences e.g. white-collar crimes as women’s self confidence and assertiveness increase greater opportunities in legitimate structure
Masculinity and crime - Messerschmidt
Masculinity is social construct or accomplishment and men constantly working at presenting it to others
Hegemonic masculinity is dominant in society However some men have subordinated masculinity e.g. gay men Who have no desire of hegemonic masculinity
C&D a resource to demonstrate masculinity
White M/C youth= subordinate to teacher to achieve status + outside school oppositional masculinity through vandalism
White w/c youth = less educational success masculinity oppositional in and out school - sexist attitudes/tough/oppose teacher authority
Black w/c youth= fewer expectations and use gang membership to express masculinity or property crime to gain material success.
Winlow- postmodern + masculinity
Globalisation = loss of manual jobs but expansion of service sectors including pubs and bars
Winlows study = Bouncers in Sunderland area of De-industrialisation and Unemployment. Working as bounces in clubs provided young men with paid work + opportunity for illegal business and drugs and alcohol + opportunity to demonstrate masculinity through violence
Bodily capital= Men use this to maintain their reputation e.g. bounces seek to develop physical assets by bodybuilding. - looking the part to discourage competitors.
Statistics
Men 19x more likely to be in prison
Fraud offences highest for women 29.4%
Prison population 95% men and 8% female
30% murders are women
7x women more likely to have sexual offence
2x women more likely to have domestic abuse
4.7% of women are victims of crime 5% are men
45% of offences were shoplifting
Biological approach
Women more likely to commit crime when they’re in their period due to hormonal changes.
Men commit more crime as they have more testosterone so more dominant and aggressive.
A03-
