Masculinities and Crime

• most research is focused into women and crime
• does masculinity have a relationship to crime?
• rejects both biological and sex role theory 
• Messerschmidt (1993) 'masculinity is accomplished and is not something done to men or settled beforehand' therefore gender is socially construced and so crime can act as a tool to acomplish masculnity 

this can occur through dominate or hegemonic masculinity or the alternatice subordinated masculinity

• young m/c males demonstrate hegemonic masculinity through educational success
  
• w/c white males achieve hegemonic through aggression, anti social behaviour and deliquency 
• w/c ethnic minorities assert theirs through street gangs 

• m/c males can use crime to express hegemonic masculinity, for example in boardroom culture of white collar crime
• success comes from high powered  jobs with large salaries
• wealth is achieved through jobs and career ladders
• putting women down via sexual harrashment is seen as fashionable
• homosexuality is largely hidden and media scandles occur when high status men come out as gay 
• w/c see it as the gateway to hegemony, by resisting the authority of management 
• lad culture exists in factoris which may lead to crime to fulfil the need for material gain
• they turn to crime to escape career instability 
• domenstic abuse and **** culture is approved of
• homosexuals are demoralised and outcast 

Ethnicity 

• lack resources to accompish hegemonic masculinity 
• search for alternatives to masculinity 
• pimp and prostitute relationships

Evaluation

• is a sophisticated analysis of crime age, gender and class
• it over predicts crime
• not everyone aspires to hegemonic masculinity 
• what about politically motivated crime?