FEMINISM AND CRIMINOLOGY

Impact of Feminism On Criminology

Table of Contents

Introduction1

Criminological theory of conflict1

Women As Perpetrators And Victims Of Crime2

Issues Concerning Female Criminality3

Double Standard Of Morality5

Patriarchy And Feminism6

Feminist-Oriented Criminology7

Popular Culture/Roles And Positions7

Feminist Critiques Of Criminology9

Poverty And Feminism9

Conclusion11

References13

Impact of Feminism on Criminology

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to draw and contextually situate the theoretical development of a feminist-based criminology. The goal is to identify and clarify the linkages between the development of criminological theory and the concomitant social, political and economic conditions that affect the environment in which it was and continues to be formulated. This study relates the conditions of women in society in general to the emerging development of a feminist-based theory within criminology. The treatment of women in criminological discourse will be situational located by examining women's changing status in society and their depiction in popular culture. It also discusses the role of women in the society and the behaviour of man while treating with women.

This study will attempt to include questioning the capability of existent paradigms that explain criminal and deviant behavioural patterns of women. This study will illustrate that recent explanations of female criminality, such as economic marginality and women's liberation are inadequate (Albonetti 2007, p. 789).

Criminological theory of conflict

This study evaluated works of earlier writers for ideas that can be construed as important elements in the feminist perspective of today. Many of these ideas were not explicitly formulated from a feminist ideology. They provided insight into the social and economic influences of gender and crime. We cannot easily disengage all of the factors that influenced the theorists, or people in general. Using the information available can only speculate about the effects on their behaviours, personalities and thought processes. However, we can situate them in the era in which they studied and lived, hoping to understand the process that resulted in the evidence that was left. It is left to the reader to interpret the meanings suggested by the writer. There is a difference in history and historical perspective, some distortions in the readings of the meanings is expected. We not only read the writer's words as written, the meanings that were intended and the context in which they were constructed. Often this includes the process of learning how to read the text, the subtext and its meaning. For feminist criminology, the goal is learning to read gender (both) in the production of crime and criminological theory.

According to Albonetti (2007, p. 792) the conflict theories are based on a fundamental assumption: the conflict is more than consent to characterize the company. The theoretical approaches are different: first pluralist theories argue that in every society there are several groups fighting to protect their interests, on the other hand, theories of class conflict in society say that there are two classes that seek to take dominance. Bachman (2000, p. 59) theoretical approaches to the conflict consider aberrant consent. The real problem to be studied is, the use of power to create and maintain the image of ...