10. Gender differences in C&D

Question 1

Stats: what percent of crimes prosecuted are male?

Answer 1

79% there is a 4:1 ratio

Question 2

What percentage or prisoners are male?

Answer 2

95%

Question 3

What is significant about the disproportionate levels of male-female crime?

Answer 3

This disproportionate level of male-female is both a historical and global phenomenon

Question 4

What do self-report studies suggest about gender differences in crime?

Answer 4

-SRS’s support there is a gender gap
-Difference isn’t as big as official stats suggest

Question 4

What is The Chivalry thesis?

Answer 4

An underestimation of female crime, Women get away with crime because “Men hate to accuse women and thus send them to their punishment; police dislike to arrest them

Question 5

Whose theory is The Chivalry thesis?

Answer 5

Heidensohn

Question 6

Chivalry thesis: What does the Home Office say about women?

Answer 6

Women are consistently treated more leniently by the law

Question 7

Chivalry thesis: What punishment are women more likely to recieve?

Answer 7

Community service rather than imprisonment

Question 7

Chivalry thesis: What is significant about female first offenders?

Answer 7

Female first offenders are half as likely to be given immediate imprisonments their male counterpart.

Question 8

Chivalry thesis: What are female offenders usually regarded as?

Answer 8

Regarded as less serious than men by police

Question 9

Chivalry thesis evidence against: What does the home office research say about female sentences?

Answer 9

women are being sentenced more harshly for lesser crimes

Question 10

Chivalry thesis evidence against: How do women risk harsher punishment?

Answer 10

Female offenders are subject to double jeopardy - on trial for crime and how much they conform or deviate from stereotypes of femininity.

Question 11

Chivalry thesis evidence against: what is the evil women theory?

Answer 11

Women who are seen as sexually promiscous, neglectful mothers or as violent women they are perceived in far worse terms than men in similar situations

Question 12

Chivalry thesis evidence against:

Question 14

Evidence against chivalry thesis: What punishments are men given for violence compared to women?

Answer 14

Men are more violent than women but are given comparatively lighter sentences for similar levels of violence - they are seen as just overstepping the mark of male expectations

Question 15

Conclusions of the Chivalry thesis

Answer 15

-Not much evidence to support chivalry thesis or ‘evil women’ theory
-Women receive less harsh sentences because they commit less serious offences
-Women are expected to be good so punished when they are not. Men expected to be tough and aggressive so are punished less seriously when they do so.

Question 16

What may women that commit crimes benefit from?

Answer 16

Police assumptions and stereotypes

Question 17

What are police assumptions and stereotypes of women?

Answer 17

-Women are less likely than men to be criminals
-Less likely to have their behaviour watched
-Less likely to get caught and labelled
-Less likely to become a criminal statistic

Question 18

Sex-role theory: How are girls socialised differently to boys?

Answer 18

-Good female role model emphasising care & nurture
-Boys seek male role models and join subcultures if dad is absent
-Female criminals have experienced less mothering showing how important mothers are

Question 19

Why do some female criminals steal?

Answer 19

To provide for children indicating sex- role theory

Question 20

What does research show female criminals cite?

Answer 20

Lack of money, no job, drink do drugs as the reasons they turn to crime and nothing to do with being female or a mother

Question 21

Control theory: Whose theory is control theory?

Answer 21

Carlen

Question 22

What does Carlen argue about control theory?

Answer 22

Carlen argues social class and gender are deeply connected in female crime. Her study found female criminals are most likely W/C and have less control or reason to conform than medial class females

Question 23

Control Theory: Which type of females did Carlen say have less control or reason to conform?

Answer 23

-Had little success in society and little to loose
-Had drug and alcohol addictions
-Raised in care etc

Question 24

Control Theory: What do females that conform have?

Answer 24

Tighter controls and are subject to class and gender deals

Question 25

Which backgrounds are female criminals notoriously from?

Answer 25

Difficult and poor backgrounds

Question 26

AO3 for Control Theory

Answer 26

-Applies not only to women but men too
-Very small study

Question 27

Control Theory: What does Hiedensohn argue about females?

Answer 27

There more supervised and controlled than males, through socialisation and cultural expectations

Question 28

Control Theory: What are the 3 key areas where patriarchal society controls women freedom?

Answer 28

At home, in public and at work

Question 29

What are class deals?

Answer 29

Class deals refer to material rewards e.g purchasing goods, respectable lifestyles etc

Question 30

What are gender deals?

Answer 30

Refers to rewards arising from fulfilling roles in the family

Question 31

Masculinity thesis: What does Connel argue about masculinity?

Answer 31

There are a number of different forms of masculinity that change over time.

Question 32

Masculinity thesis: Who refers to normative masculinity?

Answer 32

Messerschmidt

Question 33

Masculinity thesis: What is Messerchmidt’s normative masculinity?

Answer 33

The ideal man which many find hard to live up too. Traits such as: toughness, strength, in charge

Question 34

Masculinity thesis: What do many men strive to achieve?

Answer 34

Status, power and control over female employees. However others feel powerless at work so express masculinity through violence - both types of men prone to crime

Question 35

What are the characteristics of the changing nature of masculinity?

Answer 35

Intellect, sensitivity and compassion

Question 36

What does Masculinity thesis link to concepts of?

Answer 36

Toxic masculinity

Question 37

What has created a crisis of masculinity?

Answer 37

Decline in manual labour has created a crisis of masculinity

Question 38

What does Katz recognise the need for?

Answer 38

Status, success and control, pointing to the thrill and excitement that is gained from criminal activity

Question 39

Growing female criminality: Which group has there been a notice increase in committing crime?

Answer 39

Young females

Question 40

Growing female criminality: What is the ratio of committing crime now?

Answer 40

3:1

Question 41

Growing female criminality: When did the number of males committing crime decrease?

Answer 41

Number of males committing crime decreased between 2002 and 2014 but female crime rate increased

Question 42

Growing female criminality: What was the percentage of crimes committed by girls in 2004-2010?

Answer 42

25% in England and Wales - increases in minor assault, robberies, criminal damage etc

Question 43

The Liberation thesis: Who came up with the liberation thesis?

Answer 43

Adler

Question 44

The Liberation thesis: What was the idea behind the liberation thesis?

Answer 44

Growing female crime may be due to changing gender roles, women in contemporary Britain have more independence than in the past.

Question 45

The Liberation thesis: What have women become more successful than men at?

Answer 45

In both education and the labour market

Question 46

The Liberation thesis: What is weakening?

Answer 46

Controls on women particularly younger women, they are spending more leisure time on the streets so are more visible and accessible to formal controls like police.

Question 47

Ladette culture: What are females adopting?

Answer 47

A more masculinized layette culture - young women adopting behaviour associated with men e.g binge drinking, gang culture, being hard and in control.

Question 48

Ladette culture: What do sociologist say about the increase in female violence?

Answer 48

Increases in reported girls violence is due to changes in labelling and criminalisation of girls bad behaviour.

Question 49

Ladette culture: What is there now evidence for within the CJS?

Answer 49

Police and the CJS are now reacting in a more serious way - arresting, prosecuting and inprisoning girls and women involved in violence and other offences.

Question 50

Ladette culture: What are the main offenses females commit?

Answer 50

Drug offenses, criminal damage, shop lifting, violence - all still less serious than those committed by men. Female violence consists of fairly low levels of assault rarely involving serious injury compared to male violence.