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
Furthermore, another stereotype against women is clearly stated by Pollak. According to Pollak’s theory, men commit crimes to ‘protect’ women and because as he kindly states, “the instigation of women” is the reason why men commit crimes (Anderson, 1976). According psychologists such as Pollak, Freud, Rogers and Thomas, women only commit crimes because they are “jealous” of men and therefore develop certain complex such as the penis envy. In addition, these psychologists claim that women use their sexuality in other to achieve what they want, when they want it and however they want it. As a result, the criminal justice system incarcerates women longer than men even if they have been convicted for the same offence(s) as they counterpart because they believe that they are “protecting” these women (Anderson, 1976).
The first reason why women commit so many less crimes is because of the chemical balance and hormones in their bodies. Men have much more testosterone then women and a high amount of testosterone can lead to more agitation and violent behaviors and tendencies. Women don 't have as much testosterone so they are usually more well behaved and don 't get angry and violent as much. This would definitely explain the reason why women commit so many less violent crime. “Women account for shockingly only less than 20% of all violent crime” (Schmalleger 115). Another major reason for the difference in crime rates between men and women is evolution and the the evolutionary Neuroandrogenic Theory. Which is basically a theory that “the propensity for crime commission evolved among humans beings as part of the male reproductive strategy” (Schmalleger 118). Evolution has just played such a big role in all of this because females seem to have more sense when it comes to the world and reacting around it which definitely has a correlation to their lower crime rates. They will think more than males and act more appropriately to any
Gender and Crime Sex is commonly used to describe the innate biological characteristics of humans constituting their femaleness or maleness. Gender on the other hand, covers the social characteristics and usages associated with one sex or the other. Since such roles and customs can vary and be modified it follows that masculine and feminine the terms applied to the respective genders are much more flexible than female and male. In order to cover the subject of gender and crime it is important to explain its prehistory and standing as well as addressing the extensive material which appeared in the modern
This is an issue I could prove and disprove. Women commit less crime on the whole. A first time offender, dependent on their crime, should receive a lesser sentence than someone who repeatedly reoffends. The crime in which a woman commits tends to be much less serious or severe as the crimes men commit –this will explain the difference in sentencing. However, as chair of the justice committee I’m completely aware woman are committing more similar crimes to men, now, more so than ever. I do believe if the crime is the same then the punishment should be, however a lot of factors come into play with this issue. The factor of chivalry, the success of the guilty party’s lawyer and the motives behind the crime. These issues all change a person’s punishment –it may be these issues more than gender.
Recidivism rates are much higher in men than in women. Seventy-eight percent of men are rearrested for the same crime or a different one within five years of their first offense. The rates for women are much lower, ten percent lower as a matter of fact. This means that only sixty-eight percent of women are rearrested within five years. This is because women have less violent tendencies than men. Women are also better at expressing themselves than men. When women get angry they usually cry or find some
According to Doerner (2012), “The odds of incarceration for female defendants were approximately 42 percent lower than the odds of incarceration for male defendants” (p. 245). A recent study on the effects of gender on sentencing guidelines found that male defendants are 74 percent more likely to be incarcerated than similarly charged female offenders (Doerner, 2012). Data from this study was drawn from the United States Sentencing Commission.
The official statistics often comply with the common assumption that men commit more crimes then women. According to official statistics, in 2005, 1.8 million offenders were guilty in which 79% were male and 7% of these were aged fewer than 18. The ratio of
Males, especially working class males, are responsible for more crime than females, and are disproportionately over represented in crime statistics (“Intersectionalities II”, February 22, 2017). However, when girls are involved in crime this normalization of boys involved in crime creates the notion that “boys will be boys and girls will be good”, therefore authorities and society view girls who deviate as having something wrong with them, usually offered treatment as a probational order by judges (“Intersectionalities II”, February 22, 2017). The offences girls are most likely to be arrested for are, more notably, prostitution, running away from home, and curfew violations (Chesney-Lind and Sheldon, 2004), by girls are also are sentenced much more harshly than boys for these
The involvement of females in crime and as the committers of crime was once a rare phenomenon but in recent years a dramatic increase has been seen all over the world. In England and Wales statistics have shown between 1994 and 2006 female crimes have steadily increased and have since continued to do so (MOJ 2009). Many sociological explanations and interpretations have arisen to coincide this surge in female offending as to understand its recent development in society. This assignment will look at different feminist explanations and critically evaluate them and their value in understanding female crime.
In recent years, the rates for women being imprisoned in Australia have significantly risen, with many factors contributing to this greater increase in the rate for female prisoners compared to male prisoners. From 1995 to 2002, a 60 percent increase in rate per 100,000 was recorded (Karen Gelb 2003), with women making up seven percent of Australia 's total prisoner population, as stated by Fiona Dowsley, the ABS director of the National Centre for Crime and Justice Statistics. According to the annual 'Prisoners in Australia ' report in 2012, the number of women incarcerated increased by 48 percent since 2002. It is necessary to identify the issues that affect women which account for the surge in imprisonment of women. Recent studies have suggested that the main factor of the rise of imprisonment is the sentencing practice itself considering women
It would be foolish to assert that gender plays no role in the criminal justice system, just as it would be equally foolish to say that race plays no role in this system either. Covington and Bloom cite the work of Kivel (1992) in reminding all that "Where sexism is prevalent, one of the gender dynamics frequently found is that something declared genderless or gender neutral is, in fact, male oriented. The same phenomenon occurs in terms of race in a racist society, where the term "race neutral" generally means white" (2003). The criminal justice system reflects the needs of men and the values of men in a highly patriarchal society; the issue becomes more complicated when some scholars argue that women should fight for equal rights in all areas of life, including the criminal justice system, arguing that while equal treatment might hurt women in the short run, in the long run, it's the best policy for women (Covington & Bloom, 2003). On the other hand, opposing groups argue that women are inherently different from men and that insisting on equality will always create a situation where women lose out (Covington & Bloom, 2003). This debate creates an uncertain situation about how women should be treated in the criminal justice system and whether gender should play a role accounting for differential treatment.
In viewing the information contained in the aforementioned articles, one can immediately understand the underlying reasons that women are committing more crimes than men. Through the mid-1990s, the arrest rates of both genders has increased steadily, with the male rate far exceeding that of females (Gross, 2009, pp. 84). However, in recent years, a shift has been seen, with the numbers of female offenders rising significantly, especially at the juvenile level, which significantly raises the likelihood of re-offending later in life. As such, an understanding of the differences between the sexes in terms of the reasoning behind their offenses has long been researched.
Even though it is generally believed that men commit more crimes than women, there are some instances in which women commit a greater percentage of the crimes. One example would be shoplifting, in which some estimates are as high as 80% of all shoplifters being women, and although men
Gender is clearly one of the major factors in the causes of crime as men commit far more crimes than women. “90% of those found guilty are men.” – the poverty site
The social process and traditional structure theory explained why female crime rates are rather lower than males. The social process theory tend to explain the traditional crime with regards to differential opportunity to lean criminal techniques and values. The use of the traditional theory shows evidence in which considered the overlap on the causes of crimes committed by both genders. Studies shows that both male and female offenders that came in contact with the criminal justice system often came from a social background that are typically of low socioeconomic status, poorly educated, under or unemployed, and minority groups (Steffensmeir and Allan, 1995). The only difference between male and female offenders is, female