Female Criminals

• How much more likely are males to commit crimes compared to females according to official crime statistics?

  Males are four times more likely to commit crimes than females.
• What types of crimes are males more likely to commit?

  Males are more likely to commit serious crimes such as violence, sexual assaults, and murder.
• What types of crimes are women particularly involved in?

  Women are especially involved in property offenses such as shoplifting.
• What does self-report study data indicate about male offending compared to female offending?

  Males are 2.5 times more likely to offend than females.
• Why has female crime been largely neglected in sociological theories of crime and deviance?

  It has been neglected due to the domination of sociology by men.
• What do radical feminists like Heidensohn argue about the focus of sociological theories?

  They argue that crime issues relating to social class, age, and ethnicity have been prioritized over female crime.
• What is the functionalist sex role theory regarding gender socialization?

  • Males and females are socialized differently.
  • Females are socialized to be caring and compassionate.
  • Males are socialized to be tough and aggressive.
• According to Parsons (1955), how does gender socialization affect crime rates?


  Females are less likely to commit crime due to their caring socialization, while males are more likely to commit crime due to their aggressive socialization.
• What does Cohen (1955) argue about the lack of an 'expressive' role model for males?

  He argues that it leads males to seek masculine identity in all-male street subcultures.
• What criticism does Walklate (2003) have regarding functionalist sex role theories?

  She criticizes them for having a biological basis and argues that gender patterns of offending are shaped more by patriarchy.
• What do the New Right claim about the absence of male role models?

  • Absence of male role models in single-parent families leads boys to seek status in criminal street gangs.
• How do radical feminists explain women's lower crime rates?

  They explain it in terms of patriarchal control over women in both private and public spheres.
• What are some ways men exert control over women according to Heidensohn (1986)?

  Men exert control over women through power in the family and public spaces, limiting their opportunities to commit crime.
• How does the fear of male sexual violence affect women's crime opportunities?

  It limits women's opportunities to engage in crime due to fear of violence.
• What is the 'glass ceiling' and how does it affect women's crime opportunities?

  The 'glass ceiling' limits women's advancement to senior positions, reducing opportunities for white-collar crimes.
• What is a criticism of radical feminist control theory regarding women's crime?

  Some feminists argue that patriarchy can push women into crimes like prostitution due to poverty.
• What do social construction approaches say about official crime statistics?

  They reject OCS as invalid, arguing that females are under-represented.
• What do social constructionists focus on regarding gender and crime?

  They examine social processes that lead to the under-representation of women and over-representation of men in crime statistics.
• Why are crimes like shoplifting and prostitution less likely to be reported?

  These crimes are less likely to be noticed or reported by either party involved.
• What is the chivalry thesis in relation to female criminals?

  It claims that the male-dominated criminal justice system treats female criminals more leniently than males.
• What evidence supports the chivalry thesis?

  Self-report studies show that the difference in offending between genders is smaller than recorded in official crime statistics.
• What is a criticism of the chivalry thesis regarding male crimes?

  It ignores that many male crimes also go unreported, such as sexual assaults and domestic violence.
• What did the Ministry of Justice (2009) find regarding female offenders?

  Females were more likely to receive cautions from the police than males.
• What did Hedderman and Hough (1994) find about female offenders?

  Female offenders are far less likely than male offenders to receive custodial sentences for serious offenses.
• What did Farrington and Morris (1984) dispute regarding the chivalry thesis?


  They found that magistrates did not treat women more leniently than men in cases of theft.
• What did Walklate (1998) find about the criminal justice system?

  She found it to be patriarchal and biased against women, especially in rape cases.
• What do Carlen, Adler, and postmodernist feminists believe about official crime statistics?

  • They largely reject OCS.
  • They believe females are under-represented in the statistics.
  • They attempt to explain recent rises in female criminality.
• What does Carlen's feminist control theory explain about working-class female crime?

  It explains it in terms of a rejection of class and gender deals that offer perceived rewards for legitimate work and family roles.
• What is the 'class deal' in Carlen's theory?

  It is the promise of material rewards for legitimate work that some working-class women reject.
• What is the 'gender deal' in Carlen's theory?

  It is the promise of material and emotional rewards from a conventional family role that some working-class women reject.
• What is a criticism of Carlen's ideas regarding female crime?

  Her ideas are deterministic and underplay the importance of choice in offending.
• What do postmodern feminists like Naffine (1987) support regarding Carlen's ideas?


  They support the idea that crime is linked to poverty and changes in global economies.
• What does Adler (1975) claim about female liberation and crime rates?

  She claims that as women become liberated from patriarchy, female crime has increased and diversified.
• What evidence supports Adler's claim about the rise in female crime?

  Evidence from Hand & Dodd (2009) shows that the number of females arrested for violence rose by 17% between 2000 and 2008.
• What is a criticism of the liberation thesis regarding the rise in female violence?

  It suggests that the rise may be due to the justice system's increased willingness to prosecute females for less serious violence.
• What do postmodern feminists claim about the increase in female aggressive behavior?

  They link it to shifting gender roles, where females are becoming more risk-taking and competitive.
• What is a problem with the liberation thesis regarding the timing of rising female crime rates?

  Female crime rates began rising in the 1950s, long before the women's movement.
• What does Tara Young's (2010) research into girl gangs suggest about the liberation thesis?

  It lends partial support, indicating that girl-only groups engage in a wide range of deviant behavior.
• What does Chesney-Lind (1997) point out about female criminals?

  Most female criminals are working class, the group least likely to be influenced by women's liberation.