Feminist approaches to gender differences in crime

Feminist sociologists have developed approaches to understanding why official crime statistics show that females commit fewer crimes than males. One key feminist perspective accepts the gender gap in crime rates as real and seeks to explain why females are less likely to offend, focusing on gender role socialisation and social controls.

Explanations based on gender role socialisation

Early feminist explanations highlight how males and females are socialised differently, leading to varying propensities for crime. For males, socialisation often encourages traits that align with criminal acts, while for females, it promotes conformity and care for others.

Socialisation differences between males and females

This differential socialisation helps explain why males are overrepresented in crime statistics, as their learned traits align more closely with criminal opportunities.

The role of social controls in female conformity

Feminist theorists argue that social controls limit female opportunities for crime, often operating more stringently on females due to patriarchal structures, contributing to lower offending rates.

Key forms of social control on females

• Family and domestic roles - Frances Heidensohn notes that women are often controlled through their responsibilities as wives and mothers. Motherhood, in particular, leaves little time or opportunity for criminal activity, as it involves constant care duties. This is reflected in common female offences like shoplifting, which may tie into domestic responsibilities such as providing for the family.
• Fear of reputation damage - Sue Lees observes that females avoid deviance to prevent acquiring a 'bad' reputation. They fear judgement from boys and other girls, including verbal sexual labels that could stigmatise their behaviour and social standing.
• Overall conformity - Heidensohn argues that patriarchal society imposes greater behavioural controls on females than males, fostering higher levels of conformity. This results in females being less likely to engage in harmful or deviant acts.

These controls create barriers to female offending, reinforcing the gender gap in crime by limiting freedom and emphasising conformity.

Pat Carlen's explanation for female crimes

Pat Carlen's research focuses on why some working-class females do commit crimes, emphasising the role of poverty, abuse, and rational decision-making. Her study involved interviewing female prisoners to understand their pathways into offending.

Carlen's study of female prisoners

• Participants - Carlen studied working-class female prisoners, many from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Method - She conducted in-depth interviews to explore their life experiences and motivations for crime.
• Results - Many participants had experienced poor family lives, including child abuse, truancy, homelessness after running away, and time in care. A substantial number had been in care systems. Some had entered abusive marriages that ended due to domestic violence. They often left school with few qualifications, leading to long-term unemployment and poverty.
• Conclusions - These women rationally chose crime as the only path to a decent standard of living, as the benefits outweighed the risks. With nothing to lose, crime became a viable option.

Some feminists link this to the 'feminisation of poverty', where factors like low pay, inadequate benefits, and rising single motherhood increase female economic crimes such as shoplifting or social security fraud in recent decades.

Carlen's work shows how social disadvantages can push females into crime, countering the idea that all females are inherently less criminal.

Adler's liberation thesis and its implications

Freda Adler's liberation thesis proposes that as women gain more equality and opportunities, their crime rates will rise to match those of men. This links female offending to broader social changes in patriarchal structures.

Core ideas of the liberation thesis

Adler argues that declining patriarchy and increasing economic opportunities for women lead to greater self-confidence and assertiveness. As women enter roles traditionally held by men, they may commit 'male' crimes like violence and white-collar offences.

Key predictions of the liberation thesis

• Link to women's liberation - Greater equality reduces traditional constraints, allowing women to engage in a wider range of behaviours, including criminal ones.
• Predicted outcomes - Female crime rates should increase, particularly in areas like corporate fraud or aggression, as opportunities in legitimate employment expand.

This thesis suggests that gender equality could narrow the crime gap, challenging earlier views that female offending is always low due to inherent socialisation or controls.