gender and crime

• Feminist

  • examine the ways women are victimized through domestic violence and sex crimes
  • questions why these are under-reported to the police
• Official statistics show women are less likely yo commit serious crimes

  • In 2014, women made up 5% of prison population but make 51% of the UK population
  • In 2015, 20% of females made serious crimes whereas males made up 80%
• Explanations for women's lesser crime

  1. Socialiastion
  2. Control Theory
  3. Chivalry thesis
  4. Double Deviance theory
• Socialisation

  • Male and female primary and secondary socialisation differs
  • Society has different expectations of child behaviour depending on gender
  • Girls are socialised to be more passive and boys more active
  • Females- caring and nurturing roles according to Parsons
  • Girls socialised to be in the home and bedroom culture
  • CANALISATION
  • Society views on masculinity leads to pressure on men to be tough
  • Can lead to confrontation with police and more risks
• Control theory

  • Feminist e.g Heidensohn argue that females have fewer opportunities to commit crime than men
  • This is because women's behaviour are more controlled by society
  • Have more expectations of domestic and caring responsibilities than men
  • Girls have greater restrictions placed on the freedom of teenage girls by their parents
• Chivalry thesis

  • Focuses on paternalistic nature of the male dominated criminal justice system
  • Female offenders may receive different treatment than male offenders in the criminal justice system.
  • Women are often viewed as childlike and in need of help rather than punishment.
  • Feminine female offenders may be treated more leniently by authorities (e.g., police, judges).
  • This leniency applies across all stages: crime reporting, police response, trial, and sentencing.
  • As a result they are under represented in crime statistics
• Double Deviance theory

  • Some approaches suggest female offenders face harsher treatment than male offenders.
  • Female offenders are seen as "double deviants" for breaking both the law and societal gender norms.
  • They are often judged not only for their crime but also for behaving in an "unfeminine" way.
• Media influences

  • Form of secondary socialisation
  • Use stereotypes when they portray female and male characters
  • Men character = violent, dangerous and aggressive
  • Females = submissive roles
• Functionalist Explanations

  • Males more likely to feel strain to anomie than females
  • This is due to their socialsiation into an instrumental role in society
  • This means they need to provide for their family and feeling strain when they are not able to achieve society's goals
  • Lots of functionalist research examines male criminality
• Marxist explanation

  • focus on how class inequalities cause crime
  • Focus on the instrumental role of the male as a worker
  • The effects of an exploiting capitalist society can lead to workers displaying their frustrations through deviant beaviour
  • Although changes to the labour market might mean more women have opportunities to commit corporate and white collar crime
• Feminist explanation

  • Carlen and Heidensohn suggest patriarchal control of women leads to fewer crimes committed
  • Carlen suggests that women turn to crime if they are unable to accept either the gender deal or the class deal
  • Heidensohn suggests that the control of women in public and private sphere by husbands and bosses limit ability to commit crime
• Interactionist explanations

  • Males - young working class men- are more likely to be perceived negatively when acting in a deviant manner
  • Folk devils are often portrayed as young and male and this influences others' perceptions of their criminality
  • Crime is seen as a masculine activity and males can enhance this by engaging in deviant acts such as football hooliganism and fighting
• Subcultural explanations

  • Cohen suggests that the blocked opportunities that deny males status in society are likely to lead to formation of subculture
  • These subcultures adopt an alternative social hierarchy in order to achieve status from their peers
  • This leads to criminality
• Rise in involvement for crime in women

  • rejection of stereotypical gender norms
  • more opportunities to commit corporate crime and white collar crime
  • women and girls are becoming more independent so less control
  • the gender wage gap- poverty is a significant risk factor