Topic Sociologist Key findings
/ Theory
Female Patterns in 1. Most crimes appear to be committed by men
offendi crime 2. 4/5 of convicted offenders are male in England and Wales
ng 3. By the age of 40, 9% of females have a criminal conviction vs 32% of males
4. A higher proportion of female than male offenders are convicted for property offences (except burglary)
5. Males are more likely to be repeat offenders
6. Women are less likely to have criminal career
7. Men are x15 more likely to be convicted of homicide
8. Only 1 in 9 female offenders receive a prison sentence for shop lifting vs 1 in 5 for men
9. A higher proportion of male than female offenders are convicted of violence or sexual offences. Within these, men are likelier to be
repeat offenders.
Chivalry - Women are threatened more leniently than men by the criminal justice system. Male chivalry means that the police are less likely to
thesis charge women, and the courts will tend to give women a lighter sentence.
- This reinforces the idea that women need protecting/are subordinate to men. Interactionist labelling theory - official statistics are
subjectively recorded by police officers, who decide who gets recorded and who doesn’t = not reflective of the true rate of offending in
society.
- Pollak – men have a protective attitude towards women. The criminal justice system is more lenient towards women so their crimes
do not end up in official statistics.
- Flood-Page – 1 in 7 men have been cautioned compared vs 1 in 11 women. Females are more likelier than males to be released on bail
rather than remanded in custody. Women are more likely to receive a fine or community service than prison.
- Hood - women 1/3 less likely to be jailed in similar cases to men.
- BUT Farrington and Morris – in 408 offences for theft women were less likely to be sentenced more leniently. Buckle and Farrington –
women were more likely to be prosecuted for shoplifting than men. Male violence against women is under reported. Powerful men
are under-represented in self-report and victim surveys. Women generally commit less serious crimes and are more likely to show
remorse.
Bias Courts punish girls, but not boys for premature or promiscuous sexual activity. Sharpe – 7/11 girls were referred for support because they
against were sexually active. In rape cases, the female victim is judged more harshly than the male defendant. Smart – male judges made sexist
women and victim blaming remarks to women in rape cases. Walklate – in rape cases it’s not the defendant but the victim that on trial.
Feminists argue this is a patriarchal double standard. Women who don’t live up to conventional societal norms of femininity, such as
single mothers are less likely to have their evidence accepted. Heidensohn – courts treat females more harshly than males when they
deviate from gender norms. Stewart- magistrates perceptions of female defendants characters were based on stereotypical gender roles.
Carlen – women are jailed for the court’s assessment of them as wives, mothers and daughters.
The ideology of male domination over women means subordinating women to traditional expectations of women’s role in society. Courts
are biased against women then they transcend patriarchal expectations of female roles/behaviour.
/ Theory
Female Patterns in 1. Most crimes appear to be committed by men
offendi crime 2. 4/5 of convicted offenders are male in England and Wales
ng 3. By the age of 40, 9% of females have a criminal conviction vs 32% of males
4. A higher proportion of female than male offenders are convicted for property offences (except burglary)
5. Males are more likely to be repeat offenders
6. Women are less likely to have criminal career
7. Men are x15 more likely to be convicted of homicide
8. Only 1 in 9 female offenders receive a prison sentence for shop lifting vs 1 in 5 for men
9. A higher proportion of male than female offenders are convicted of violence or sexual offences. Within these, men are likelier to be
repeat offenders.
Chivalry - Women are threatened more leniently than men by the criminal justice system. Male chivalry means that the police are less likely to
thesis charge women, and the courts will tend to give women a lighter sentence.
- This reinforces the idea that women need protecting/are subordinate to men. Interactionist labelling theory - official statistics are
subjectively recorded by police officers, who decide who gets recorded and who doesn’t = not reflective of the true rate of offending in
society.
- Pollak – men have a protective attitude towards women. The criminal justice system is more lenient towards women so their crimes
do not end up in official statistics.
- Flood-Page – 1 in 7 men have been cautioned compared vs 1 in 11 women. Females are more likelier than males to be released on bail
rather than remanded in custody. Women are more likely to receive a fine or community service than prison.
- Hood - women 1/3 less likely to be jailed in similar cases to men.
- BUT Farrington and Morris – in 408 offences for theft women were less likely to be sentenced more leniently. Buckle and Farrington –
women were more likely to be prosecuted for shoplifting than men. Male violence against women is under reported. Powerful men
are under-represented in self-report and victim surveys. Women generally commit less serious crimes and are more likely to show
remorse.
Bias Courts punish girls, but not boys for premature or promiscuous sexual activity. Sharpe – 7/11 girls were referred for support because they
against were sexually active. In rape cases, the female victim is judged more harshly than the male defendant. Smart – male judges made sexist
women and victim blaming remarks to women in rape cases. Walklate – in rape cases it’s not the defendant but the victim that on trial.
Feminists argue this is a patriarchal double standard. Women who don’t live up to conventional societal norms of femininity, such as
single mothers are less likely to have their evidence accepted. Heidensohn – courts treat females more harshly than males when they
deviate from gender norms. Stewart- magistrates perceptions of female defendants characters were based on stereotypical gender roles.
Carlen – women are jailed for the court’s assessment of them as wives, mothers and daughters.
The ideology of male domination over women means subordinating women to traditional expectations of women’s role in society. Courts
are biased against women then they transcend patriarchal expectations of female roles/behaviour.
