Unit 4 SCLY4 - Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods; Stratification and Differentiation with Theory and Methods
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SOCIOLOGY EXAMPLE ANSWERS: GENDER AND CRIME
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Unit 4 SCLY4 - Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods; Stratification and Differentiation with Theory and Methods
Institution
AQA
4,6,10 and 30 marker on the topic gender and crime.
A/A* marked
Outline two differences between the recorded patterns of male and female offending (4 marks)
Outline three reasons for gender differences in levels of recorded crime. (6 marks Nov 2021)
Applying material from Item A, analyse...
Unit 4 SCLY4 - Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods; Stratification and Differentiation with Theory and Methods
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Outline two differences between the recorded patterns of male and female offending (4 marks)
● convicted offenders in England and Wales are male.
● A higher proportion of female than male offenders are convicted of property offences.
● A higher proportion of male than female offenders are convicted of violence or sexual offences.
Outline three reasons for gender differences in levels of recorded crime. (6 marks Nov 2021)
● One reason is the chivalry thesis, where male criminal justice agents are more lenient with women as
they feel they need to be protective. This leads to womens crime being less likely to be in the official
statistics.
● Typical female crimes such as shoplifting are less likely to be reported as it is seen as a waste of time.
This means they don’t appear in the official statistics.
● Biological factors such as testosterone mean men are more likely to commit violent crime which can
account for the gender differences.
● Women have fewer opportunities to commit crime due to patriarchal control at home and in the
workplace.
Item A
Most criminals are men and much research into offending shows that there is a clear link between crime and
masculinity. Changes in the economy and the employment structure of men have also become more
apparent in today’s society.
Applying material from Item A, analyse two reasons why males commit more crime than females (10 marks)
One reason males have higher rates of offending than females is “there is a clear link between crime and
masculinity”. Messerchmidt argues masculinity is a social construct and men have to constantly work at
constructing and presenting it to others. Different masculinities exist within society but hegemonic masculinity
is the dominant , prestigious form men wish to accomplish. However, working class and ethnic minority men
lack the resources to achieve this type of masculinity so they have subordinated masculinity. Messerschmidt
sees crime and deviance as resources that different men may use for accomplishing masculinity. White middle
class youths have to subordinate themselves in education to achieve a middle class status which is known as
accommodating masculinity. Outside of school their masculinity takes oppositional moments such as drinking
and pranks. On the other hand, white working class youths have less of a chance of success so their masculinity
is oppositional both inside and outside of school. One example is Willis and the Lads whose masculinity was
constructed around sexist attitudes, being tough and opposing teachers. Therefore, white working classes
commit crime such as street robbery to achieve subordinated masculinity. Whilst, middle class men commit
white collar crime to accomplish hegemonic masculinity.
Another reason may be “changes in the economy and the employment structure of men” that leads to men
committing more crime. In recent decades, a de-industrialised society has led to the loss of many traditional
manual jobs where men were able to express their masculinity through physical labour and providing for their
families. Now there has been an expansion in the night time leisure economy of clubs, bars and pubs which for
some working class men has provided a combination of legal employment and criminal opportunities to
express their masculinity. Winlow’s study showed bouncers in Sunderland provided men with opportunities for
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