Crime and gender

The Statistics Males commit most crime – 4 in 5 offenders are male Men outnumber women in all major crime categories 85 – 95% of those found guilty of burglary, robbery, drug offences, criminal damage and violence are male 98% of sexual offences are committed by males Theft is the most commonly committed offence by both men and women

The Statistics (contd) 57% of female offenders found guilty or cautioned for theft / handling of stolen goods compared with 34% of men Men are four times more likely to be the victims of violent crime than women. Domestic violence is the only category where the risk is higher for women than men.

Why? Opportunity for crime Primary and secondary socialisation Policing / judicial System Social visibility / lifestyle factors

Opportunity for crime Women are involved in a wide range of crime Where women have similar opportunities for crime as men, the pattern of crimes they commit are broadly similar Where opportunities are similar, women are just as likely to offend as men It is when the opportunities for crime are different that the pattern of offending is different, e.g.…….

Different opportunities, different crime Burglary tends to be solitary and at night. Lone women at night more likely to draw attention / prone to danger Work – related opportunities: – Fewer women work than men – Fewer are in powerful positions (white collar crime) – More likely to be closely scrutinised Women more likely to have child care responsibilities

Primary / secondary socialisation Males ‘prompted’ to be more aggressive than females. Females ‘prompted’ to be non-aggressive. Peer culture: boys – gangs, ‘street’, girls ‘indoors’ Male socialisation encourages active individualistic behaviour. Female, passive, sharing/ caring Expectations on male as “breadwinner” and females as “carers” Serious organised crime – offenders likely to view women in stereotypical way – emotional, illogical etc.

Police and courts The self-fulfilling prophecy: police ‘expect’ males to commit more crime so police them more closely therefore detecting more crime Men more likely to be on the street at night so attracting more police attention Police and courts stereotype male/ female roles therefore less likely to punish females – the “chivalry factor” Police and judiciary are still male dominated. See female crime as ‘symptom’ of women needing help rather than punishment Much female crime is petty / non-violent (shoplifting / prostitution)

Social Visibility / lifestyle Women are far more likely to be victims of ‘unseen’ crimes – domestic violence Male crimes often involve a clear victim and therefore more likely to be witnessed Men are more likely to be out at night and more likely to abuse drugs / alcohol often leading to crime