The Gender Gap In Criminology

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Recommended: Assess sociological explanations of gender differences in the patterns of crime

One of the most persistent and influential conclusion that was drawn in the field of Criminology is that men commit crimes at higher rates than women. While this statement represents one of the least disputed facts among criminal discoveries, it became now a central and much-debated issue among researchers. These statistical differences, known as the gender gap, were explained by a consistent number of researchers in the last century.
One particular aspect in the gender gap in offending that captivated significant attention from both the researchers and the media was the fact that the gender gap has narrowed among time. It became an axiom in Criminology that men commit more crime than women, yet criminologists have not unveiled concrete reasons for the gender ratio of delinquencies. However, research on the narrowing of the gender gap in offending proposed over time three explanations which are valid today. This essay will be focusing on discussing and comparing those assumptions, as well as presenting some of the causes which lead to the male and female deviance. The final part of the paper will critically assess distinct measurement issues …show more content…

In other words, this explanation concludes that when women are more economically disadvantaged compared to men, an increase in women’s criminal rate can be seen. This assumption was supported both by the quantitative data collected which have also found a strong relation between crime and poverty rates. Moreover, it was supported by the sociological community who suggests that “there is general agreement among scholars that the economic marginality of women is closely linked to female crime…it is one of the most pervasive explanations for female crime” (Hunnicutt & Broidy,

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