Gender Double Standards Teacher Sex Crimes

Research and read the case about Debra LaFave, the middle school teacher from Central Florida who pled guilty in November to having sex with a 14-year-old student and received house arrest and probation. Does a double standard exist in these cases between a female and male offender?

From the case of Debra LaFave, there does appear to be a double standard as it relates to female sex offenders and their male counterparts. In the case of Debra LaFave she was provided certain benefits in her case that other men would not have received. For one LaFave only received probation for having sexual relations with a 14-year old boy. Similar cases with men would have resulting in jail and or prison time, but LaFave was able to avoid both of these punishments. Just earlier in the month, the Orlando chemistry teacher Dang Van Dinh was sentences to five years in prison for having sexual relations with his 15-year-old female students. In the case of LaFave however, the original plea bargain agreement was rejected. The press release from the judge cited that the plea agreement would undermine the integrity and credibility of the courts. He also noted that such agreement would erode public confidence within the Florida school system. The rejection was believed to result in a tougher punishment for LaFave. However, it ultimately resulting in much more lenient punishment for her (EduRisk, 2016).

Here, the 15-year old boy in the center of the case, was experiencing psychological pain as a result of the large media attention he was receiving. His mother, seeing this, decided against allowing her son to testify against Debra LaFave in court. She feared all the media and public attention would exacerbate his trauma. This ultimately left the prosecution with a much weaker case as the victim would be the critical piece of evidence within the case. After the rejection of the plea deal and the inability of the critical witness to testify, the charges would eventually be dropped. LaFave would eventually plead guilty in the same case in another country and serve just three years of house arrest and seven years of probation (Fazel, 2010).

Here, the double standard primarily exhibits due in part to societies internal classifications of both men and women. Although it is improving due to the womanist movement and other initiatives throughout the country, men are still regarded as the leader of the household throughout society. The United States is heavy Christian, with 78% of the country identifying with the religion. With the bible, men are regarded as the head of the house and women are to be protected. These roles have manifested in real life an many men are expected to work and earn incomes to support women and children. According to the U.S. Census data nearly 1 in 5 moms, or 20%, are stay-at-home mothers. Here, the man is expected to work and provide the income necessary to sustain the woman and her child, similar to the Christina beliefs espoused by the bible.

Media also plays a role here, as men and women both have common stereotypes that are propagated throughout society. Men are expected to be athletic, brave, and wealthy. Movies like James Bonds, or superheroes such as Tony Stark all fit this stereotype. Women on the other hand are often expected to be feminine and provided for. Many of the more popular Disney princess movies use this stereotype. Over the years these archetypes often become engrained in the psyche of society both consciously and unconsciously.