Gender and Crime

• Chivalry Thesis: Women are committing crime – they’re just getting let off!
• Arguments that back up the Chivalry Thesis include: Women are doing it (crimes) more, as evidenced by Pollak (1950), Home office (Flood and Page, 2000), and Hood (1992).
• Arguments that critique the Chivalry Thesis include: Women are not being let off, as evidenced by Walkgate (2004), Carlen (1988), and Heidensohn (1996).
• Hales et al (2009) is a recent study that supports the Chivalry Thesis.