Messerschmidt - masculinity & crime
- Created by: rebeccamellors
- Created on: 24-11-16 13:32
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- Messerschmidt- masculinity & crime
- Argues that masculinity is a social construct or 'accomplishment' & man have to constantly work at constructing & presenting it to others
- Different masculinities co-exist within society but hegemonic masculinity is the dominant form which men wish to achieve
- Hegemonic masculinity is defined through 'work in the paid-labour market, subordination of women, heterosexism & the driven & uncontrollable sexuality of men
- Some men have subordinate masculinities, includes: gay men, men who have no desire to accomplish hegemonic masculinity, as well as lower class & some ethnic minority men who lack resources to do so
- Sees crime & deviance as resources that different men may use for accomplishing masculinity
- White MC youths - have to subordinate themselves to teachers in order to achieve MC status leading to accommodating masculinity in school, outside school they do it through drinking, pranks & vandalism
- White WC youths - less chance of educational success, their masculinity is oppositional in & out of school, constructed around sexist attitudes, being tough & opposing teachers authority
- Black Lower WC youths - may have few expectations of a reasonable job & may use gang membership & violence to express masculinity
- Criticisms
- Is masculinity an explanation of male crime or just a description of male offenders, circular argument
- He doesn't explain why not all men use crime to accomplish masculinity
- He over-works the concept of masculinity to explain virtually all make crimes
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