Gendered Criminology Theory the Authors

Gendered Criminology Theory

The authors of this article interrogates the various traditional and more contemporary approaches to the issue of gender differences in crime and particularly with regard to the sociological influences and factors that affect rate and types of female crime. The authors put forward a new gendered theory of crime that takes its impetus from the positive and negative aspects of previous theories of crime relating to female and gender difference.

Importantly, the study notes in the introduction that criminologist can no longer be indifferent to female crime because of the plethora of studies on this subject. The literature has also tended to develop theories about gender differences and similarities in criminal behavior based on certain theoretical suppositions and assumptions. This study sets out firstly to question the validity of these theories.

In building towards a more comprehensive and elegant theory of gender the authors state that there are significant flaws in conventional sociological and criminological analyses of gender and crime. They state that there are both similarities and differences in female and male patterns of offending that are only partially accounted for by both traditional and more contemporary theoretical trajectories. The authors refer to quantitative data and statistics to explore and interrogate these theoretical assumptions.

One of the critical findings of this comparative analysis of different theoretical trajectories is that from many of the standpoints there is the view that male and female crime cuts across differences in time, race, class, and geography. This would tend to suggest that both genders are responding in their criminal behavior to the same or similar social forces, and that this in turn suggests that there is no need for gender-specific theories. The theory proposed by Steffensmeier and Allan counters this sort of generalization and suggest a theory of criminal behavior that takes into account the subtleties, nuances and complexities of gender differences in crime.

The authors suggest that while various traditional theories do have considerable value with regard to certain types and classes of crime, yet they are not adequate in explaining or providing a thorough theoretical framework that takes into account various anomalies and differences found in the statistics. In other words, this study aims to fashion a perspective that integrates the theory with the statistical findings relating to male and male crime patterns. This perspective brings forward certain questions such as; " Why are serious crimes against property and against persons so much less a feature of female offending?" And " Why are female offenders less likely to participate in or lead criminal groups?" (Steffensmeier and Allan, 1996, p. 459)

The authors interrogate conventional theories such as the gender equality hypothesis. This theory is based on the assumption or hypothesis that greater gender equality is assumed to lead to higher rates of female crime. There are various objections to this view, such as the question whether the gender gap in crime varies as much as is assumed and whether women in fact have experienced greater social equality in the specified groups and times.

The authors also deal with aspects of more radial and progressive theories of gender crime, such as the gender inequality theory, which questions assumptions that gender equality leads to higher crime rates among women. This theory points to the more obvious effects of gender inequality as a precursor to criminal behavior.

The central point reiterated throughout the study is that both these theories and others are only partially valid and are not flexible or elegant enough to deal with the various anomalies and differences of female and male criminal behavior. The authors suggest that there is a crucial need for an approach that can explain not just minor but serious female offending.

A truly gendered theory would therefore provide a more unified theoretical framework. The gendered theory that the authors suggest has four key elements. These are the following. Male as well as female criminal behavior should be able to be explained by the theory. This is achieved through the understanding of the he organization of gender. For example, the organization "... deters or shapes delinquency by females but encourages it by males." This refers to norms and gendered identities as well as the effect of institutions and relationships that shape both female and male criminal behavior and criminal predilection.

A second key aspect of this theory is context. This is an essential aspect of the theory and is a concept that makes it different to many other theories on this subject. Context is the aspect that possibly raises this gendered theory to another level of significance. By context is meant that even when men and women commit the same crime there is a real difference in the "gestalt" of the offending. In other words, understanding and studying the contextual elements of the crime and criminal from a gender- sensitive point-of-view can help to shed light on gender differences and explain the anomalies that occur.

A third and equality important component of this theory is that women generally take different "routes" towards crime than do men. This is of course related to various gender stereotypes in the society. An example would be the blurred distinction between victim and victimization in women's experience and the importance of greater relational concerns among women.

A fourth component of the theory that perhaps refers back to more conventional approaches, is the emphasis on biological and reproductive differences. This is an important aspect and shows the inclusive nature of the theory.

This theory differs from many other theories mainly in its integrative appaoach and the way that it assimilates the positive elements of both conventional and progressive theories and combines them to make a more elegant and effective theoretical framework to study this subject.

The value of this theory, as claimed by the authors, is that it has a particular application to the understating of gender differences in crime and criminal behavior due to its focus on a gendered approach to the problem. It is also different, and possibly an improvement on other theories, in that it claims to be able to understand and deal with both male and female crime, especially from the standpoint of its four key components. The authors also make the important point that these key components are not exclusive but that there is a degree of flexibility and integration between the different conceptual areas.