Gender socialisation theory

Question 1

patterns of socialisation
p1

Answer 1

• Sutherland states that different patterns of socialisation experienced by boys and girls reinforces behaviour that may encourage criminality in boys and discourage it in girls
• Girls = more supervised, strictly controlled
• Boys = encouraged to take risks and be tough/aggressive
  e.g barbie v hot wheels or submissive v boys will be boys
• leads to crim behav in boys = less emotion, risk takers, aggression, impulsive

Question 2

Role models
p2

Answer 2

• Bandura argues that all, especialy children, learn their behav by observing/imitating role models
• Gender is a shared characteristic making them more likely to be a role model
• children learn their gendered behav mainly from parents
• Boys more likely to be criminals as boys don’t have available role model (father at work) so feel anxiety about their identity as young man = solution is look for all male groups or street gangs to reject femininity and express masculinity

Question 3

differences in social control
p3

Answer 3

• boys socialised towards crime but girls socialised AWAY
• girls controlled = watched and protected
• less chance to commit crime = domestic responsibility, less senior positions at work e.g. CEO so less likely white collar crime, and fear of being alone in dark
• female criminals risk double jeopardy (can’t be prosecuted for same crime twice) so prosecution for crime then judged by society
• women’s rationale for committing crimes different = see crime as rational choice e.g. little power to change their situations = unfulfilling /controlled/unhappy so crime rational
• while men do crimes impulsively, women do it to gain control or retake power

Question 4

Alternative evidence W

Answer 4

e = chivalry hypothesis says women commit more crimes than official statistics suggest - police/judges tend to be men who have been socialised to act in more chivalrous manner towards women
- Pollak supported this = claim men in criminal justice system tended to have protective attitude towards women = less likely to be arrested / convicted
w = while prison pop mainly men, could be other reasons linked to gender in society to better explain why women less convicted, not less likely to be criminal

Question 5

Out of date W

Answer 5

E = 1943 sutherland proposed this theory where male and female roles clearly defined

E = changes in gender stereotypes since then and society has developed - women less traditional, some dads stay at home instead, more women CEO’s, changes in way kids raised on differences between childhood of boys and girls

W = while many of these stereotypes still exist, rise of feminism, focus on equal rights and opps = out of date as lacks temporal validity

Question 6

Strength?

Answer 6

• Practical applications
  E = if socialisation is key component, males can be socialised differently to reduce crim behav

E = males could be exposed to more fem strategies of conflict management or media present male role models who are less aggressive/less desire for risks
- this can challenge some attitudes and neg outcomes of men wanting to fulfill stereotypes

W = reduce crim behav in men