Gender and Family

Gender and Family

Answer for Question 1

There are many reasons why Genders become delinquent. Stress is a huge factor when dealing with juveniles. The Strain Theory suggests that strain/stress and negativity may directly and/or indirectly lead to delinquency. Stain/stress lead to negative emotions which can fuel delinquency including violence, vandalism, truancy, illegal drug use, and theft. According to Sickmund & Snyder, males tend to be more aggressive and involved in violent crimes than females. A 2003 survey suggests that 33 percent of high school students have admitted to being involved in one or more physical altercations within the past 12 months. Of the 33 percent of students, males were substantially more likely to fight than females, and more likely to commit a violent act (Snyder, 2006). Males tend to be more delinquent simply because they are more materialistic than females. This means that they tend to get aggressive when they see something they want and can't have it. A better summation might be that males are more territorial than females.

Answer for Question 2

When two males are interested in one particular object, they might fight to see which is more dominant. This theory could prove positive when it comes to materialistic items. A male subject may want a new DVD player but can't afford it, so he may resort to committing the crime of theft or burglary to obtain it. Females are more interpersonal and resort to name calling rather than becoming aggressive. The bottom line of why males tend to be more aggressive is because they tend to respond with anger when dealing with stress, and females tend to handle stress/strain better and tend to rationalize rather than becoming defensive. When it comes to the treatment in the juvenile justice system by gender, there are basically two conflicting theories. The first theory is that girls are treated more harshly than boys simply because it is less socially acceptable for girls to be deviant. A boy that engages in deviant behavior is more than likely to be deemed as a rite of passage in some circumstances, as to where a girl will be frowned upon because it is not lady like, or conflicts with the traditional role. The second theory conflicts dramatically with the first. The second theory suggests that girls will be treated with leniency in effort to protect the girls from the influence of deviant behavior.

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