Gender crime and justice
Gender patterns in crime
Girls and women appear to commit less crime than men although this is now changing
Sociologists are now researching the relationship between masculinity and crime
Heidenshon and Silverstri 2012
4/5 convicts are male
By the age of 40 9% of women had a criminal conviction compared to 32% men
More females commit property offences except burglary and men more violent and sexual offences
Men more likely to be repeat offenders, commit more serious crime and have larger criminal records
First explanations were biological Lombrosso and Ferro argued there was few born females
Psycology suggest it could be due to levels of testosterone
Sociologists point to social facts
The Chivarly thesis
Thesis argues that most criminal justice system agents such as police officers and judges are socialised to be chivalrous towards women
Argues that the criminal justice system is a lot more lenient towards women and so their crimes are less likely to end up in the statistics
Definition: the system of values that knights in the Middle Ages were expected to follow an honourable and polite way of behaving especially towards women
Evidence
Self report studies show that women are more likely to be treated lenienly
Official statistics: women more likely to be released on bail, more likely to get a fine or community service than a jail sentence
Hood 1992 women 1/3 less likely to be jailed
Criticisms
Farrington and Morris study of sentencing, differences between males and females was not lenient towards females
Buckle and Farrington witnessed twice as many male shoplifters than females despite equal statistics
Self-report studies show men commit more crimes such as drugs and alcohol
Male crime against women is not often repeated
Many feminists argue that the system is bias against women
Less than 2% of rape cases have a conviction
Double standards- women are compared being a good mother
Female victims put on trial
Women who do not conform to expected standards get harsher sentences
More likely to be judged due to personality not due to the crime
Functionalst sex role theory
Early models focused on male vs female socialisation
Parsosns argues that most socialisation is carried out by mothers and girls clear role model whose values don't lead to crime
Males reject values such as gentleness and emotion and can slip into deviant and anti-social behvaiour
Boys may turn to gangs as role models
Feminists criticise parsons in assuming that because women biologically bear children that they are suited to the expressive role
Class and gender deals
Control theory
Heidensohn 1996 argues women are lvery conformist in terms of behaviour committing fewer crimes
Argues that this is because societies control women more three ways:
Control at home, time spent on housework and childcare means that women have little time for crime. Daughters are given less freeodom
Control in public, women may choose not to go in public due to fear of harassment, sensationalist media coverage heightens this fear, may limit behaviour in fear of being inappropriate
Control at work, controlled by male superiors and may be intimidated by harassment. lack of women in senior positions reduces opportunities for corporate crime
Evaluation
Domestic violence is an issue for more women than men and fears around harassment are not to be dismissed but women are more liberated
Also sees women behaviour as determined by external factors and underplays the importance of free will
The liberation thesis