Gender and Crime #5

4/5 convicted offenders were male, and more likely to commit serious crimes

Female crimes are less likely to be reported and less likely to be prosecuted too e.g. shoplifting v assault 

CHIVALRY Thesis - justice system sympathetic to women as officers socialised to act chivalrous toward woman 

EVENDENCE FOR CT...  Bowling - males 4x more likely to offend than women, and women were more likely to be cautioned too

EVIDENCE AGAINST CT... Box's self report study showed women who commited serious offences wern't treated different also, Morris found women were not sentenced more leniently in a magistrates court

Some claim the justice system is biased against women though, e.g.Carlen - good mothers were less likely to be jailed or young girls being punished for promiscious activirt -> going against their gender norms

Boys reject feminine models of behavior e.g. gentleness and engage in 'compensatory compulsory masculinity' e.g. being aggresive 

Mens instrumental role makes socialisation more difficult on boys

Furthermore, boys without a male role model turn to deviant gangs whose merits are gained from delinquency , giving them a source for masculine identity 

Patriarchy imposes control over women hence reducing opportunities for them to commit crime

At home a lot of their times taken up by housework and men are able to confine them to this by threatning them through domestic violence or financial means

Daughters are subject to this too such as restrictions on staying out late therefore devloping a bedroom culture

In public they are controlled by fear of sexual violence (media plays a big part) and may avoid notorious places of violence e.g. pubs

Glass ceiling merely restricts white collar crime for women too

Carlen noted serious convicted female criminals were predominantly working class

Adlers LIBERATION Thesis - patriarchy has lessened so women are less constrained by men e.g. equal pay act. Women no longer commit traditionally 'women crimes' 

^ Notably womens crime rose before the women liberation movement even began

Messerschmidt - masculinity is an accomplishment that men work towards

Hegemonic - most men wish to accomplish paid work, the ability to subordinate the women at work/home, and heterosexuality 

Subordinated - lower class men may lack to means to accomplish the above goals therefore turning to crime