Gender & Youth Crime

Question 1

In Canada, are males or females more likely to be charged by the police?

Answer 1

77% of males
23% of females

Why? gender crimes (men - violent; women - property theft); chivalry hypothesis

Question 2

Females are often charged with_____ and ____.

Answer 2

1. Theft under $5,000 (property violations)
2. Level 1 Assault - cause little to no physical harm to victims

Question 3

Based on rates of offending in Canada, at what ages does crime peak & then begin to diminish?

Answer 3

peak around adolescents & tapers as people get older
why? Younger people are more visible, engaged in non utilitarian crimes; more commitment w/ age that keeps us occupied (e.g job, children, etc.), more pro-social bond w/ age, lifestyle (e.g. drinking)

Question 4

Describe early research on gender & crime.

Answer 4

Lack of attention before 1970s

Males:
* A “delinquent” was seen as a “rougemale”

Females:
* Case studies, mostly prostitution related
* Girls used wrong means to achieve right goals
* They were not properly socialized (lacked controls)

Question 5

What is the role of the liberation hypothesis in explaining higher incidences of women violent crime?

Answer 5

Liberation Hypothesis - states that as men and women become more equal in society in terms of family, politics, and education, their crime rates will begin to equalize as well

During 1960-1970, women gained increased economic and social independence from men

more participation in the labour market & pursues post-secondary education

created new opportunities to engage in deviant/criminal acts

Question 6

What characteristics describe girls who are more likely to come in contact w/ the law?

Answer 6

those who are poor, abused, marginalized and socially excluded

Question 7

How does power control theory explain differences in crime rates between men & women?

Answer 7

Power Control theory - holds the gender distribution of delinquency is caused by stratification from gender relations within the family

• girls and boys in families are brought up differently
• boys have more freedom and are therefore more prone to delinquency, girls are more strongly regulated
• Girls develop more self-control and are less prone to delinquency and risk behaviour even as adults.

Question 8

In Hagan’s power control theory, how does he describe the socialization of boys & girls in patriarchal & egalitarian families?

Answer 8

• Patriarchal - male has more power (breadwinner); Girls are socialized into the ‘inferior’ role at an early age; boys given more freedom
• Egalitarian (equal rights) - girls have more freedom; boys less deviant due to change in power dynamic & parenting; boys & girls socialized in a similar manner

Question 9

Describe Anne Campbell’s findings on girls & gangs.

Answer 9

○ Most linked to male gangs
○ Short-term solutions to problems
○ Many also subject to victimization
○ Sexism: girls are often not wanted or valued in delinquent groups
○ No affirmative action or pay equity laws in place in the “underworld”
○ EG. Biker gangs (wolf) and other organized crime.

Question 10

What 3 things call for a need for gender specific theory?

Answer 10

1. Victimization - women more likely than men to be victimized; less likely to report it
2. Economic Marginality - gender wage gap; less job opportunities & opportunity to climb the social ladder within a company; women have higher rates of psot-secondary education; male-dominated workforce, etc.
3. Reproductive Differences - birth control; single mothers are marginalized & socially shunned upon; life course theory (children change ones trajectory)