Why Do Men Commit Crime Flashcards
Messerschmidt (1993):
Hegemonic masculinity: Is the dominant, prestigious form that most men wish to accomplish.
Men are socialised into being providers
They are socialised into showing dominance over others
Physical strength valued over intellect
However, some men have subordinated masculinities. These include gay men, who have no desire to achieve hegemonic masculinity , as well as lower class and some ethnic minority men who lack the resources to do so.
Messerschmidt: different youths
White, M/C youths: Have to subordinate themselves to teachers in order to achieve middle class status, leading to accommodating masculinity. Outside school their masculinity takes an optional form through drinking etc.
White, W/C youths: Less chance of educational success, so their masculinity is optional both in and out of school. Think Willis’ lads.
Black, W/C youths: May have fewer expectations of a reasonable job and may use gang membership and violence to express their masculinity.
Criticisms of Messerschmidt
Is masculinity an explanation of male crime or is it merely a description of male offenders? Messerschmidt is in danger of a circular argument that masculinity explains male crimes because they are crimes committed by males who have violent characteristics.
He doesn’t explain why not all men use crime to accomplish masculinity.
He over-works the concept of masculinity to explain virtually all male crimes, from joy-riding to embezzlement.
WINLOW: POSTMODERNITY, MASCULINITY AND CRIME:
Shift to a late-modern society= fewer traditional men’s jobs and an expansion of the service sector, including the night-time leisure economy of clubs, pubs and bars.
For some young men, this has provided a combination of legal employment, lucrative criminal opportunities and a means of expressing their masculinity.
Bouncers in Sunderland
Sunderland, in the North-East of England is an area of de-industrialisation and unemployment.
Working as bouncers in the pubs and clubs= both paid work and the opportunity for illegal business ventures in drugs, duty-free tobacco and alcohol as well as an opportunity to express their masculinity through physical violence.
This could be linked to Cloward & Ohlin’s take on criminal and conflict subcultures. In Sunderland, the absence of a professional criminal subculture meant there was little opportunity for a career in organised crime!
Bodily capital
Under postmodern conditions, by contrast, an organised professional criminal subculture has emerged as a result of the new ‘night time’ economy.
The ability to use violence becomes a way of earning a living, not just demonstrating masculinity.
Men use their bodily capital. E.G: Developing their assets via bodybuilding . Winlow notes this was not just a matter of using violence to win fights, but using their bodies to discourage competitors from challenging them!
This is a growing trend thanks to ‘signs’ and what they represent in a postmodern society! It opens up new criminal opportunities for men.
Where is hegemonic masculinity reinforced
Through the media
Young males are bimbarded with images of what a ‘real man’ is
Reinforced through these males being seen as desirable to women
How does hegemonic masculinity cause crime
Leads to males reacting to perceived challenges to their position
In education males react to being treated as subordinate to teachers
Reactions to employers having position or authority
Challenges to masculinity at home (domestic violence)
Socialisation
Strain theory
Control theories
