preview

Gender Differences In Crime

Decent Essays

It is a common perception that men are more likely to commit crime than women and according to statistics in 2012, 85% of known offenders in England and Wales were males and women only represents 5% of the prison population. However in the last ten years, the number of females that have been prosecuted is thought to have risen by 6%.
Some criminologists and sociologists argue that Some of the main explanations of the gender differences in crime are the sex role theory, the control theory and the liberation thesis. The sex role theory and the control theory explain why women are less likely to commit crimes than men and the liberation thesis argues that there are no differences between male and female crime rates. The sex role theory argues that boys and girls are socialised differently and therefore boys become more delinquent. Parson believed that girls have more influence from a female role model due to their mother being at home more often and looking after them whereas boys have less time with a male role model due to the father being at work. Therefore, the boys will be mostly socialised by their mother which then causes them to reject the etiquette and behaviour that is seen as feminine and not masculine such as being gentle and more emotional. Cohen (1955) supported Parsons theory due to believing that if boys didn’t have much influence from a male role model then they would struggle with socialisation and then experience anxiety about their identity, thus potentially

Get Access