Week Fifteen - Gender Differences in Offending

Question 1

Gender and Crime…

Answer 1

The ‘gender gap’ or ‘sex crime ratio’

Women commit fewer and less serious offences, desist from crime more quickly, and have shorter criminal ‘careers’ than men

Men commit crime at higher rates than women, are involved in more serious and violence offending, and are more prone to recidivism

Question 2

Whose Crime are We Talking About?

Answer 2

Are most crimes unimaginable without the presence of men?

What could this tell us about crime? What does it tell us about men/masculinity?

Does fear of crime translate to fear of men?

“Let us be clear from the outset. The vast majority of conversations and debates around the issue of crime are, in fact, about the actions of men.”
(Collier, 1998:1)