Feminist Theories PDF

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Feminist Theories The Extent of Female Crime    

Men commit more crime and more serious crime than women. The offences most often committed by women are theft and assault. Criminology is ‘malestream’: male criminologists study male criminals. Women are ignored. No curiosity regarding why women commit less crime. 1970s – the feminist movement put female crime on the agenda

Traditional Explanations of Female Criminality   

Female criminality was largely ignored until the 1970s, but there were theories developed in the 19th and early 20th centuries that tried to explain female criminality. These theories are largely biological and physiological These theories have had a huge impact on how female crime has been explained

Cesare Lombroso (1985) The Female Offender     

Women are biologically, physically and mentally inferior to men White men – the most advanced form of evolution Non-white women – the lowest form More atavistic physical traits in female criminals than in male criminals Women’s criminality is also less evolved, typically prostitution

W. I. Thomas (1923) The Unadjusted Girl     

Female criminality due to the sexual freedom that was the result of the removal of traditional constraints of women Women’s emancipation should be resisted Most women maintain their virtue until marriage Amoral women use their sexuality to obtain whatever they want This results in promiscuity, prostitution and illegal activities

Sigmund Freud Psychoanalysis      

Everyone has the potential to be criminal if our basic human instincts are not controlled Boys fear that their father will castrate them Girls feel resentful because of their ‘defective sexual organs’, so called penis envy To deal with this they dress up and show off in order to attract men Women are more passive than men, but female criminals reject this passivity and try to be like men As women will not succeed in emulating men, the only way to overcome their penis envy is to give birth

Otto Pollack (1950) The Criminality of Women       

The real levels of female crime are similar to those of men Female crimes seem to be lower because they are under-reported and harder to detect Authorities less likely to proceed against women The lower visibility and detection of female crime is because of women’s cunning and deceit Women’s deceitfulness is learned as they can fake orgasm and conceal their periods. Women’s cunning is demonstrated in that they are behind much crime committed by men Women’s criminality is brought on by psychological disorders such as kleptomania or is of a sexual nature, such as prostitution

Sociological Explanations: Including Women  

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Most theories relate to male criminality, but they don’t automatically exclude women. Some can be adapted to include them Differential association: Girls are less exposed to criminal definitions than are boys. o Women are socialised into a feminine role and are more supervised o Girls are not taught to be aggressive, tough or risk-taking Social control theory: Stronger social control is exercised over women than men. o Women punished harder if they break the rules o Women controlled by the threat of violence

Female Emancipation & Patriarchy 

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Increased level of female crime in the 1970s o Freda Adler: due to emancipation women behave more and more like men. o Rita J. Simon: due to emancipation women have more opportunities to commit crime. Despite an increase in female crime, it hasn’t reached the same level as male crime Patriarchy: male dominance in society. Focus on men’s power over women. Highlighting the crimes that men commit against women. Women commit ‘powerless’ crimes From biological sex to social gender, gender as a social construction

Feminist Theories    

Liberal feminism: crime is due to gender socialisation. Male and female crime will become more similar due to increased gender equality Marxist feminism: women are subordinated in the capitalist system. Their crime and victimisation reflect their subordinate position Radical feminism: men more aggressive and dominant and use crime to control women Socialist feminism: patriarchy gives men more opportunity to commit crime and victimise women

Contemporary Developments in Feminist Theories  

Masculinities: crime is a way of ‘doing gender’ Gendered lives: Pathways into crime and victimisation are gender-specific

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Intersection of class, gender, race and place: Crime and victimisation are best understood by studying the interplay of these variables. Postmodern feminism: rejects criminological positivism and absolute truths. Deconstruction of class, race and gender stratification.

Conclusions  Men commit more crime than women  Criminology is criticised for being ‘malestream’  Traditional explanations of female criminality concentrate on biology and psychology  Feminists highlighted female victimisation by men  Gender in focus, not biological sex...