Part II Chapter 10

Construction of explanations of female behavior that are sensitive to its patriarchal context Examines ways in which agencies of social control (the police, the courts, and the persons) act in ways to reinforce a woman’s place in male society It would first and foremost be sensitive to the situations of girls. Negative example: women’s movement causing increase in women’s crime Part 2: Ch. 10

Data show that girls are more likely to be referred to court by non-law enforcement agencies (including parents and family) This holds true for status charges (in which girls are overrepresented) as well Part 2: Ch. 10

Girls may be trying to escape parents and families for several reasons: Parent’s double standard of behavior at home may become a source of tension Girls are more likely to be victims of child sexual abuse, which may occur at home Studies of girls on the streets, or in legal custody, show high rates of physical/sexual abuse Studies of adult women in prison who show high rates of childhood physical/sexual abuse including rape Part 2: Ch. 10

A feminist theory of female delinquency would recognize these facts: Girls may have more reason to run away from home than boys Patriarchy means the abusers (family) can call authorities to apprehend and/or punish those daughters/victims Girls are more likely to be defined as sexually desirable Once on the streets, their lives are shaped by patriarchal institutions that devalue women, such as prostitution Girls and women get caught in a vicious cycle of victimization, delinquency and crime Part 2: Ch. 10

Why is a feminist theory of deviance necessary? How do agents of social control reinforce a female’s place in a male-dominated society? Part 2: Ch. 10

Part II Chapter 11

Part 3: Ch. 12

Show how social life shapes everything people know Introduce term “social constructionism” to wide audience, which implies that problems are assigned particular meanings via social interaction Part 2: Ch. 11

Conflict theorists charged it ignored how elites shape deviance definitions Feminists charged it ignored women’s victimization by men Gay rights activists and others argued they were political minorities, not deviants Part 2: Ch. 11

Some labeling-oriented sociologists began to move away from the study of deviance Kitsuse led several in study of how and why specific social problems emerged as topics of public concern Redefined social problems as claims by certain interest groups or claims-makers that a particular set of social conditions were a problem Part 2: Ch. 11

Constructionists’ study of social problems still reflected themes of deviance: Construction of rape, child abduction, illicit drugs, family violence Many studies traced rise of social problems on national level such as War on Drugs Others looked at how problems were translated into action by police officers, social workers, and others Example : The way police and the courts construct and label perpetrators and victims of family violence The Return to Deviance Part 2: Ch. 11

Today this approach is an influential stance for the study of deviance at macro and micro levels, and for how and why particular forms of deviance emerge as a concern It emphasizes the interpretive work whereby various persons assign meaning and make sense of behavior as deviant Constructionism’s Domain Part 2: Ch. 11

What are the advantages of studying social problems? What does the constructionist perspective emphasize and how does it differ from other perspectives of deviance? Part 2: Ch. 11