Gender and Crime

Question 1

Chivalry Thesis

Answer 1

• criminal justice agents are mainly male and have been socialised into acting in a chivalrous way towards women (Pollak)
• Ministry of Justice- 49% of women received a caution in comparison to 30% of men.
  x Walklate- there is no such thing as a chivalry thesis

Question 2

Patriarchal Control

Answer 2

• Heidensohn- women are controlled in public, in the home and at work
• class and gender deals
• Carlen interviewed 39 working class women convicted of crime- their deals had been broken
  x many women aren’t offered class and gender deals yet they don’t resort to crime

Question 3

Liberation Thesis (Adler)

Answer 3

• In Western society women are becoming increasingly liberated from patriarchy
• since the 50s women are gaining legitimate employment and engaging in sexual promiscuity, gambling and drinking
  x only benefits middle class women
  x women’s crime began increasing in the 50s, before the liberation movement

Question 4

Hegemonic masculinity

Answer 4

• Messerschmidt- masculinity is a social construct which men work to achieve.
• hegemonic masculinity is most prominent
• Messerschmidt- crime allows men to display their masculinity
  x doesn’t explain why only certain men use crime to achieve masculinity

Question 5

Asserting masculinity

Answer 5

• conflict subculture in Sunderland where men gained status through being violent
• men used bodily capital to display masculinity
• men can use toughness and bodily capital to attract illicit trade in the night time economy
• the search for masculinity has led to opportunities for men to access illegitimate opportunity structures and criminal subcultures