Gender, Crime and Justice

• Consistently, women commit less crime, and significantly less women are in prison
• Women make up a miniscule 4% of the prison population in the UK
• Transgender people were somewhat more likely to be victims of crime
• Generally, women and men have similar rates of victimisation, though the type of crime involved may be different
• Pollack suggested the chivalry thesis, which claimed women were underrepresented in crime as they were less likely to be convicted
• Pollack said men were socialised into protecting women. As most members of the police and cjs are men, they are more lenient with women
• Society views women as 'good' and in need of protection, and as less of a threat even if they are criminals
• Lavinia Woodward stabbed boyfriend but got no prison sentence as she had a promising future. If genders had been reversed, it likely would have been different
• Self-report studies suggest there is less difference in criminality between genders than official statistics show
• 32% of men have a criminal record vs 9% of women
• Heidensohn says women are subject to double deviance - deviant for the act and for breaking gender roles by being deviant
• Carlen says judgements are passed on women by their ability to adhere to gender roles - eg a good mother will be let off but a woman with no children may receive a sentence
• Parsons suggested sex role theory may also explain differences in crime, as women are expected to be expressive
• Parsons says socialisation was more complete for girls as they had more female role models, compared to boys whose fathers were working or else absent
• Boys are socialised into aggressive and competitive pursuits like sport, while girls are socialised into remaining at home
• Boys may look for male reinforcement outside of the home, perhaps being socialised into their masculine role through other criminals, asserting this as what the role should look like
• Gender socialisation is changing so Parsons' ideas may not apply to contemporary society
• Messerschmidt said men were socialised into behaviours that led to increased criminality. He argues masculinity is a social construction
• Men are socialised into being providers, being dominant, and valuing physical strength. Heterosexual ideal borders on misogyny with men needing dominance over women
• The media also promotes an idea of hegemonic masculinity and what a 'real man' looks like
• Messerschmidt says men react to what they view as a challenge to their masculinity, which can be seen in many different institutions
• Boys may turn to gang culture and non-utilitarian crime to showcase their risk-taking and physicality
• Views of masculinity are changing but we still see more men in crime
• Winlow - men train 'bodily capital' to demonstrate masculinity
• Heidensohn says women are subject to patriarchal control and so have less opportunities to commit crime
• Female crime has increased compared to 50 years ago
• Carlen says female criminals rejected the class and gender deals given to them by society as attitudes towards these changed
• Control theory may be less prominent now due to there being less control over women now, explaining the increase of women in crime
• Women's crimes are often linked to the home, such as shoplifting
• Adler's liberation thesis suggests that the rise of feminism also sees more women in crime as their opportunities to commit it increase
• Most female crime is working class, which Adler doesn't really explain as feminism is most impactful on the middle class
• The chivalry thesis may have less precedence now as police widen the net and consider the possibility of female criminals, especially amidst moral panics
• Female criminality has been more stable recently and has declined slightly