Gender & crime
Chivalry Thesis
Chivalry thesis is the idea that women are treated differently than men by the criminal justice system,
this is by male staff acting out of gentlemanliness. This also extends to men thinking women are
incapable of committing many crimes (murder, assaults etc) and therefore not take their guilt
seriously. Judges and magistrates (predominantly male) are more likely to take please for mitigation
more seriously when the offender is female.
Double deviance theory
Double deviance is the idea that women are treated more harshly by the criminal justice system. This
is somewhat the opposite of chivalry thesis. Both theories acknowledge men and women are treated
differently by the criminal justice system however double deviance suggests women are ultimately
treated more harshly. This is because women aren't expected to commit crime so they're punished for
committing the crime as a woman, then punished for committing the crime.
Why do women commit less crime?
Control theory is the idea that women commit less crime because they're deterred in the
following ways:
Private domestic sphere - through patriarchal control and allocation of domestic
labour and childcare, women are given less opportunity to go and commit crime
because they are preoccupied. Teenage girls are more likely to be closely supervised
by parents than boys, reducing their chances to go out and commit crime.
Public sphere - Woman are deterred from going out at night through fears of sexual
and physical violence if they are alone. They are more subject to close monitoring or
sexual harassment from male superiors in the workplace, this restricts opportunities to
deviate. Women are also more subject to a glass ceiling at work, this restricts the
opportunities to commit white collar crime.
Women also face the threat of losing a reputation for being respectable and feminine
if they commit crime. If caught by men when partaking in deviant activities, they are
more likely to be subject to labels such as 'slag' or 'slapper' for their lack of
femininity.
Why do men commit more crime?
There are a multitude of explanations for the higher number of crime among males:
Status frustration - identity crisis caused by: deindustrialisation, loss of breadwinner
status, crisis of masculinity.
Higher unemployment leads to more crime due to lack of structure. Men commit
crime because it is something to do.
Leisure time - more likely to be in public places. (pub, football games, etc).
Biological factors - testosterone causes physical aggression, naturally stronger etc.
More likely to be part of a criminal subculture.
Chivalry Thesis
Chivalry thesis is the idea that women are treated differently than men by the criminal justice system,
this is by male staff acting out of gentlemanliness. This also extends to men thinking women are
incapable of committing many crimes (murder, assaults etc) and therefore not take their guilt
seriously. Judges and magistrates (predominantly male) are more likely to take please for mitigation
more seriously when the offender is female.
Double deviance theory
Double deviance is the idea that women are treated more harshly by the criminal justice system. This
is somewhat the opposite of chivalry thesis. Both theories acknowledge men and women are treated
differently by the criminal justice system however double deviance suggests women are ultimately
treated more harshly. This is because women aren't expected to commit crime so they're punished for
committing the crime as a woman, then punished for committing the crime.
Why do women commit less crime?
Control theory is the idea that women commit less crime because they're deterred in the
following ways:
Private domestic sphere - through patriarchal control and allocation of domestic
labour and childcare, women are given less opportunity to go and commit crime
because they are preoccupied. Teenage girls are more likely to be closely supervised
by parents than boys, reducing their chances to go out and commit crime.
Public sphere - Woman are deterred from going out at night through fears of sexual
and physical violence if they are alone. They are more subject to close monitoring or
sexual harassment from male superiors in the workplace, this restricts opportunities to
deviate. Women are also more subject to a glass ceiling at work, this restricts the
opportunities to commit white collar crime.
Women also face the threat of losing a reputation for being respectable and feminine
if they commit crime. If caught by men when partaking in deviant activities, they are
more likely to be subject to labels such as 'slag' or 'slapper' for their lack of
femininity.
Why do men commit more crime?
There are a multitude of explanations for the higher number of crime among males:
Status frustration - identity crisis caused by: deindustrialisation, loss of breadwinner
status, crisis of masculinity.
Higher unemployment leads to more crime due to lack of structure. Men commit
crime because it is something to do.
Leisure time - more likely to be in public places. (pub, football games, etc).
Biological factors - testosterone causes physical aggression, naturally stronger etc.
More likely to be part of a criminal subculture.
