Feminist Theory of Crime Flashcards
Sex
The biological components, chromosomal, chemical, and anatomical, that are associated with males and females
Gender
A social construct refers to a set of social roles, attitudes, and behaviours that describe people of one sex or the other
Gender roles
A set of behaviours that are considered acceptable, appropriate, and desirable for people based on their sex or gender
Gender socialization
The process by which males and females are informed about gendered norms and roles in a given society
Gender idneitty
A person’s identification, or sense of belonging to a particular sex, biologically, psychologically, and socially
Hegemonic Masculinity
The version of masculinity that is set apart from all others
Considered dominant or ideal within society
Often associated with toughness, bravado, aggression, and violence
Emphasized Feminity
The acceptance of gender inequality
A need to support the interests and desires of men
Often associated with empathy, compassion, passivity, and focused on beauty and physical appearance
The rise of feminist criminology
For much of its history, criminology has focused on men
Empirical studies used male-only samples
Theories constructed to explain why men and boys broke the law
Because males are disproportionately involved in crime
Women’s criminality was seen as tangential to the crime problem
Most early criminologists were male
Ealy analyses of women were sexist
Viewed female criminality as a departure from “natural” female behaviour that is maternal, passive, and gentle
Female lawbreakers had a pathological defect in their biological makeup or within their psyche
Social factors (e.g., inequality) were given little or no importance
The critique of Cesare Lombrosso
Lombrosso: female deviance is biological destiny
Females are “more primitive” than men; female deviants are masculine; female deviants lack maternal qualities
The Critique of Otto Pollak
Pollak: Low rates of female deviance due to underreporting and leniency in prosecution and sentencing
Sought evidence of female criminality at home and work; ignored potential for male criminality
Women as cunning and deceitful
Linkage of sexual “deceitfulness” to general dishonesty
“Chivalry” hypothesis: police and courts deal leniently with women offenders
Research shows this to be a myth
The critique of W.I Thomas
Thomas: female deviance caused by the removal of social sanctions
Therefore, female emancipation should be resisted
Liberation and crime
Significant changes came from the women’s rights movement
Some feminist criminologists believed that if girls were raised like boys and had the same opportunities as boys, their behaviour would be more like that of boys
Would lead to equality in crime
This idea was the basis of Rita Simon’s Women and Crime (1975)
A major byproduct of the women’s rights movement will be a high proportion of women who engage in criminal behaviour
Women’s entrance into the workforce would also increase their probability of white-collar crime
However, the women’s rights movement would not increase violent crime
How has female violence changed
between the 1960s and the 1990s?
Women in the 1990s were less likely to act on their own (i.e., they were more likely to commit violence with a partner)
Women in the 1990s were more likely to use guns
Women in the 1990s were more likely to be motivated by a need for money and/or drugs
Women in the 1990s were more likely to report that they had a family member who had been incarcerated
Female offenders in the 1990s were less likely to have been arrested before 21
Alder: Sisters in Crime (1976)
Supported the liberation thesis
As women were demanding equal opportunity in legitimate endeavours, they were also forcing themselves into the world of crime
Women were committing more crimes and engaging in traditionally mal offences
Between 1960 and 1972, female arrests increased:
168 percent for burglary
277 percent for robbery
280 percent for embezzlement
Over 300 percent for larceny
