The Chivalry Thesis

Question 1

What does this thesis argue?

Answer 1

That most criminal justice agents such as police officers, magistrates and judges are men- and men are socialised to act in a ‘chivalrous’ way towards women

Question 2

What do self-report studies reveal?

Answer 2

• Graham and Bowling (1995): a sample of 1,721 14-25 year olds, although males were more likely to offend, the difference was smaller than that recorded in the official statistics
• Flood-Page et al (2000): while only 1 in 11 female self-reported offenders had been cautioned or prosecuted, the figure for males was over 1 in 7

Question 3

How do official statistics prove the chivalry thesis?

Answer 3

• Females are more likely to be released on bail
• Females are more likely to receive a fine or a community sentence as opposed to prison sentences
• On average, women receive shorter prison sentences

Question 4

What is the evidence against the chivalry thesis?

Answer 4

• Farrington and Morris’ (1983) study: studied 408 offences of theft, conclusion was that women were not sentenced any more leniently
• Self-report studies: gender gap increases as crime gets more serious, men are more likely than women to take drugs, engage in disorderly conduct and binge drink
• Under-reporting of male crimes against women: 2012- only 8% of females who had been victims of sexual assault reported it. Yearnshire (1997): a woman typically suffers 35 assaults before it’s reported