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Feminist Theory

Feminist Theory. The Gender Ratio The “Feminization of Crime” The Generalization Problem. The Gender Gap or Ratio. Males dominate Criminal Offending UCR data Total Offending Male to Female is 3.5 to 1 Serious Violent Male to Female is 5 to 1

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Feminist Theory

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  1. Feminist Theory The Gender Ratio The “Feminization of Crime” The Generalization Problem

  2. The Gender Gap or Ratio • Males dominate Criminal Offending • UCR data • Total Offending Male to Female is 3.5 to 1 • Serious Violent Male to Female is 5 to 1 • Relationship holds for self-report data, over time, across societies • One exception is for juvenile “status offenses”

  3. Is the gender gap shrinking? • Yes and No • Yes: • The gender gap has shrunk a little bit, but still very large • % increase in female offending is misleading • b/c small base rate, minor increases are amplified • Adler’s “Women’s Lib” hypothesis • You’ve come a long way baby, but you still commit “traditional” female crimes

  4. Explaining the Gender Gap • Can Mainstream Theory Explain the Gender Gap? Gender Crime/Delinquency Mainstream Theory Variables

  5. Example of Study: Jensen (2001) Gender Delinquency Deterrence Self-Concept/Sex Roles Antisocial Attitudes Maternal Controls Delinquent Peers

  6. And the winners are… • Antisocial Attitudes • Delinquent Peers • Gender Roles • Combination of these three “knocks gender out” of the picture • Or, “controlling” for these factors, gender no longer predicts delinquency

  7. The “Generalizibility Issue” • Patriarchal societyMales also dominate criminological theorizing • Are males biased in their perspective? • Traditional image of females as “good” • If delinqeunt or criminal = pathology • Tests of delinquency based on males? • Can “male” theories of crime explain female delinquency? • Similar questions have been raised regarding intervention/treatment

  8. Factors Unique Female Offending? • Gender Roles • Physical Maturity • Caspi et al = Delinquent Peers x early Maturity • Sexual abuse • Self-esteem

  9. What is the “evidence?” • Many mainstream theories have been tested on females • Most predict female offending as well as male offending • Some (control theories) predict female offending better than male offending • Could we still do better? • “Feminist theories of crime

  10. Other Feminist Concerns • The Corrections System • 1 prison per state • Treatment programs • Few available, geared towards male, stereotypical • Still belief in “pathology” • Women much more likely to be medicated • Issues of pregnancy and children

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