Topic 5 - Gender, Crime and Justice Flashcards
1
Q
What are some gender patterns in crime?
A
- Males commit more crime than females
- Males are more likely to commit violent and sexual offences
- Women are more involved in property crimes and shoplifting
- Males have longer criminal careers and are more likely to be repeat offenders
2
Q
What is the Chivalry thesis?
A
- An argument that proposes that the criminal justice agents such as police officers and judges are more lenient towards women
- Pollack argues this is because men are socialised to protect women
- thus the criminal justice system are more lenient with women so their crimes are less likely to end up in official statistics
- self report studies for example Graham and Bowlings show that male offences are more likely to result in legal consequences
3
Q
What evidence is there against the chivalry thesis?
A
- Research suggests that when women commit serious crimes, they are not treated more leniently
- For example Buckle and Farrington observational study of shop lifting found that twice as many males shoplifting as females however despite this the numbers of male and female offenders are extremely equal
- Under-reporting of male crimes against women is also a factor that the chivalry thesis ignore
4
Q
What bias is there against women?
A
- Feminists such as Heidensohn argue that the CJS punishes women harshly when they deviate from gender norms and that it is not biased in favor of them but is against them. For example
- There are double standards, where in court girls are punished for promiscuous sexual activity and boys are not.
- And Women are punished more harshly for not fitting in to their traditional gender role of motherhood and monogamous heterosexuality
- Carlen argues that when women are jailed it is less for the seriousness of their crime but more according to the courts assessment of them as a wife, mother or daughter
- Feminist argue that double standards exist because the CJS is patriarchal
5
Q
What are the three main explanations of gender differences in crime?
A
- Functional sex theory
- Patriarchal control theory
- The liberation thesis
6
Q
According to sociologists how does the functional sex theory explain why women commit crime?
A
- This focuses on differences in the socialisation of males and females, for example boys are encouraged to be tough, aggressive and risk taking and this may mean they are more likely to carry out acts of violence
- Parsons links this theory to traditional gender roles , where men take on the instrumental role of the breadwinner and women perform the expressive role of the housewife which has the nurturing aspect to it and may limit deviance
- This gives girls a adult role model and this leads to boys lacking a strong male role model in lone parent families as they tend to reject feminine models of behaviour
- boys as a result turn to criminal sub cultures in order to express their masculinity and this may lead to delinquency
- Cohen also adds that boys may join delinquent subcultures to gain status
7
Q
What is are weaknesses of the sex role theory?
A
- Based on outdated gender stereotypes
- Assumes the nuclear family type is the norm
- It ignores female offenders and changes in socialisation
8
Q
How does the patriarchal control theory explain why women commit crime?
A
- Heidensohn argues that women commit fewer and less serious crimes then men
- This is because of the patriarchy society that imposes control over women, which thus limits and reduces their opportunities to offend. This control can take place in the home, in public and at the work place
- In the home, the women is expected to carry out the domestic role of housework and childcare and thus this imposes restrictions on their time and movement because they are confined to the house for so long so this reduces their opportunity to offend. And women who try reject their role may find that their partner will use domestic violence to force them. Daughters are also under patriarchal control because they are barely allowed out and when they are they cant be for long, as a result they develop bedroom culture
- In public, women are controlled by the fear of male violence, Heidensohn also notes that media reporting of rapes adds to their fears,
- In the workplace, women’s behaviour is controlled by male supervisors and managers. Sexual harassment is widespread and this keeps women in their place. Also women’s subordinate position in the workplace due to the glass ceiling may limit their opportunity to commit crime such as fraud thus less likely to commit white collar crime
9
Q
What did Carlen do?
A
- A study of 39 working class women who were in custody for committing crime
- Used Hirschi’s control theory to explain female crime
- Hirschi argues that humans act rationally and are controlled by being offered a deal of rewards in return for conforming to societal norms. People will turn to crime if they do not believe the rewards are not worth it
- Carlen argues that working class women conform when offered two types of deals
- The class deal, rewards from working ( money, life style)
- The gender deal, emotional and material rewards from family life by conforming to the traditional domestic role
- Carlen says if these deals are not available, working class women turn to crime
10
Q
What is evaluation of Carlen and Heidensohn?
A
- Critics argue that they both accuse women’s behavior as being determined by external forces such as patriarchal controls, but they underplay the importance of free will and choice in offending
11
Q
How does the Liberation thesis explain why women commit crime?
A
- Adler puts forward the liberation thesis which argues that as women become more liberated and equal in society, their crimes will become more frequent and as serious as men’s
- Adler argues that changes in the structure of society such as patriarchal controls and discrimination lessening, opportunities in work and education have become more equal and women have begun adopting traditionally male roles in both legitimate and illegitimate work
- This leads to women not being committed to their traditional female crimes such as shoplifting and prostitution and now do male crimes such as violence and white collar crime
12
Q
What are the criticisms of the liberation thesis?
A
- Over generalises and assumes that all women have become liberated however this is not the case for working class women who are the most likely to be criminals
- Female crime rate began rising in the 1950s long before the women liberation movement
- Was found that even in girl gangs, women were still subordinate to male gang members
13
Q
What is the Moral Panic about girls?
A
- Argument that the rise in female crime is more of a moral panic than a real increase in violence
- The media portraying young women as “ladettes” ( drunk, and aggressive) has influenced the CJS responses, thus leading to harsher punishments such as increase in arrests
- This as a result led to the self fulfilling prophecy
14
Q
What does Messerschmidt argue?
A
- argues that masculinity is a social construct that men actively perform , and crime can be seen as a way to assert masculinity
- also notes that there different masculinities that exist but the most desired one is the hegemonic masculinity which is the most dominant and prestigious type of masculinity that men wish to accomplish
- found how different social groups express their masculinity differently
- white middle class youth, tend to follow school rules but engage in delinquency outside school
- White working class youths tend to reject school authority and assert masculinity through defiance
- Black working class youths, may turn to gangs and crime
15
Q
What is evaluation of Messerschmidt argument ?
A
- He does not explain why not all men use crime to accomplish masculinity
- over emphasises on masculinity and ignores structural factors
16
Q
How has globalisation effected male crime?
A
- Led to loss of manual jobs , which was the way working class men were able to express their masculinity by physical labor and providing for family
- It has also led to expansion of the service sector such as the night leisure economy like clubs and pubs so working class men were able to get employed for this and this was an opportunity for them to express their masculinity
17
Q
What does Winlow’s study show?
A
- His study of bouncers in Sunderland helps to show the shift to the night time economy
- Found that the bouncers provided men with both paid work and a opportunity for illegal ventures such as drug dealing
- Winlow shows how the expression of masculinity changes from modern industrial to a post modern de industrial one
