Gender & Criminal Behaviour (AQA A Level Sociology): Revision Note

Statistics on gender & crime

• The overall pattern is that official statistics consistently show women commit less crime than men

Key facts (Ministry of Justice, 2025)

• Prison population:

  • As of June 2024, only 4% of prisoners were female — a figure that has stayed stable for the last five years

• First-time offenders:

  • In 2023, 27% of female offenders were first-time offenders compared to 21% of males

• Arrests:

  • In 2023/24, females accounted for 16% of arrests, while males made up 84%

• Indictable offences:

  • Only 14% of female offenders were sentenced for indictable offences in 2023, compared with 26% of male offenders

• Custodial sentences:

  • The average prison sentence for women in 2023 was 12.2 months, compared with 21.8 months for men

• Convicted offenders:

  • About 4 in 5 convicted offenders in England & Wales were male.

Types of crime

• Female offending patterns:

  • Women are more likely to be convicted of property offences (e.g., theft, criminal damage, arson)

  • Theft accounted for a slightly larger share of female arrests (15%) than male arrests (14%)

• Male offending patterns:

  • Men dominate in violent crimes, such as homicide and sexual offences

  • In 2022/23, 7% of males and 1% of females committed a sexual offence

Debates about female criminality

• These statistics can be interpreted in two contrasting ways:

  • Official statistics underestimate female offending

    • Some sociologists and criminologists argue that women commit more crimes than official figures suggest, but their offending is hidden by the system

    • Women may be treated more leniently by police and courts, and their crimes are often less likely to be reported or recorded

    • E.g., shoplifting is less visible and less likely to be prosecuted compared to violent offences

  • The statistics are largely accurate

    • Many feminist sociologists argue that women genuinely commit fewer crimes than men

    • They suggest this is because women are often more controlled in society and have fewer opportunities to commit crime, particularly serious or violent offences

The chivalry thesis

• Suggests that the criminal justice system (CJS) is more lenient towards women, treating them with chivalry and paternalism

• Otto Pollak (1950) argued that men (police, judges) are protective of women, so female crime is underreported and underpunished

• Females do not fit police stereotypes about suspicious or criminal behaviour and so are less likely to be stopped, arrested or charged

• If women are caught committing an offence, Pollak argues, they are subjected to 'softer' treatment than men and are often released with a warning

• This lenient treatment of women by male police officers is known as the chivalry thesis

Evaluation of the chivalry thesis

Strengths

• Self-report studies

  • Some self-report studies suggest women commit more crimes than OCS indicates

  • Graham & Bowling (1995) and Flood-Page et al. (2000) found that women admit to more crime than official statistics record

  • Flood-Page et al. also found that women were more likely than men to be cautioned rather than prosecuted — only 1 in 11 female self-reported offenders had been cautioned or prosecuted, compared to 1 in 7 males.

• Further research support

  • Steffensmeiser & Allan (1996) argued that judges may treat women more leniently, often citing reluctance to separate mothers from children or a belief that women are less dangerous

  • Hood (1992) found in a study of 3,000 cases that women were one-third less likely to be sent to prison than men for similar offences

Criticisms

• Self-report studies

  • Other self-reports show that men admit to more offending

  • Young men are more likely than young women to report binge drinking, drug use, and disorderly behaviour

  • Hales et al. (2009) found that men were significantly more likely to have offended in all major categories

• Research evidence critique

  • Some studies find little or no difference in sentencing

  • Farrington & Morris (1983) found that men and women often received similar punishments for comparable offences

• Bias exists, but not always leniency

  • Women can face harsher treatment if they break gender norms

  • Heidensohn (1985) argued that courts punish women more severely for behaviours such as promiscuity or neglect of children

  • Carlen (1997) claimed women who fail to conform to the ideal of a 'good mother' may face harsher sentencing

• Intersectionality

  • Gender does not operate alone — ethnicity, class, and age also shape outcomes

  • The chivalry thesis ignores that black and working-class women may face harsher treatment due to police stereotyping and racial profiling

• Victimisation patterns

  • Women are more likely to be victims than offenders

  • In 2022/23, females were the victims in 59% of homicides where the suspect was known to them, compared to 41% for male victims (MoJ, 2025)

• A patriarchal criminal justice system

  • Feminists argue that the CJS is patriarchal and often blame women

  • There are examples of judges making sexist, victim-blaming remarks

  • Walklate (1998) argues that in rape trials, women often have to prove their respectability to be believed, making it feel like the victim is on trial