1. EXPLAINING FEMALE CRIME sociologically
In any exam question always good to refer to BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS - 2 strands
i)innate differences, women are natural carers and nurturers. Normal women thus less likely to commit crime
ii)innate differences relating to menstrual cycle or hormonal differences
Dalton – hormone/menstrual factors can propel women into crime in certain circumstances;
Moir & Jessel – some violent crime is to do with PMS – premenstrual syndrome
There are THREE key SOCIOLOGICAL explanations which explain the relationship between women and offending
1 FUNCTIONALIST SEX ROLE THEORY – core elements of female role that limit their ability and opportunity to do
crime. SOCIALISATION - girls socialised differently to boys, different norms and values, differential socialisation. It
assumes that women are socialised into an expressive role and expected to be gentle and nurturing – qualities not
usually associated with criminality – and that men are prepared for an instrumental role and expected to be tough
and sometimes aggressive – qualities that may lead to trouble with the law. Men reject feminine gender scripts. Boys
turn to all male street gangs as a source of masculine identity – here they earn status through acts of toughness, risk-
taking and delinquency.
Evaluation: Although it is based on differences in socialisation patterns parts of the theory based on biological
assumptions about sex differences.
2 CONTROL THEORY
A HEIDENSOHN: PATRIARCHAL CONTROL
Closer levels of supervision throughout life imposed by patriarchal society, women more conformist, mechanisms of
social control tighter which reduces opportunities to offend – in 3 spheres:
i)HOME – domestic role/triple shift ties women to home for long periods, Dobash & Dobash show that trigger to
domestic violence often men’s dissatisfaction with women’s domestic duties, girls less likely to allowed out.
ii)IN PUBLIC IN GENERAL – by threat of male violence against them, by fear of not being respectable (slag, slutty etc)
iii)WORK – by male supervisors and managers, sexual harassment widespread, glass ceiling denies upward mobility
and lessens ability to commit fraud, lower jobs women often perform are more likely to be closely supervised.
B CARLEN: CLASS AND GENDER DEALS
Study of 39 working class women offenders. Argues that most convicted serious female criminals are working class.
Uses Hirschi’s control theory. People act rationally and are controlled by a ‘deal’ which offers rewards for
conformity. People only turn to crime when these rewards are unavailable and rewards of crime offer more.
Most working class women conform through promise of two types of rewards or ‘deals’:
i)Class deal: rewards for working – good standard of living + leisure opportunities
ii)Gender deal: rewards for acting out the conventional gender role – stability, respectability, material rewards.
If these two deals are not available or not worth the effort crime becomes more likely. Women in the study had
failed to find a legitimate way of making a living and so had gained no rewards from the class deal. Also they had
experienced little opportunity to make the gender deal (bought up in care, experienced domestic violence). Result
these women had concluded that crime was the only route to decent standard of living –nothing to lose and
everything to gain.
Evaluation: Heidensohn and Carlen both been accused of being deterministic (leaving out choice and free will).
Carlen used small sample so difficult to generalise.
3 CHANGING WOMEN’S ROLE OR ‘LIBERATION THESIS’ – reflects that female crime rising faster than male
crime in recent years. Adler (1975) argues that patriarchy is weakening and women now adopting ‘male’ type roles.
Women becoming more ‘masculine’ and finding release from social control. Evidence: women committing white
collar crime, violent crime, ladettes, girl gangs, risk-taking behaviour, looking hard, drug taking…
Evaluation: most female criminals are working class – the group least likely to be influenced by women’s liberation,
drug taking often linked to prostitution (very unliberated female offence), girl members of gangs subordinate to men
and expected to conform to conventional gender roles in the same way as non-deviant girls.