feminists perspectives on fema
The concept of female criminality is one which has until recently been given very little consideration to in terms of its' unique needs and characteristics. Like most areas of research, the study of criminology is one which until recently has been dominated by male researchers which seemed logical in the sense that the majority of crimes committed were by men. Therefore any crimes committed by women were just explained using the theoretical concepts created for men. It is only since the beginning of the 1960's that feminist groups have taken an interest in the roots and causes of crimes committed by women. The reason for this current interest is the realization that crimes committed by women cannot simply be understood using theories created to explain male activities. To explain the phenomena of female criminality, many theoretical perspectives have been put forth. Rather than focusing on physiological and biological causations, which were the main ideologies proposed in the past, contemporary feminist theorist are now analyzing female criminality through an economic and social context. In doing so, feminist criminologists' have put forth various theories to serve as an aid in explaining the rise of female criminali
As time and society have progressed and we, as a society have evolved in our conceptions in regards to women as individuals, it is clearly evident that any form of deviance committed by women is not due to their primitive evolution in comparison to men. The current interest in the economic positions of women was brought about by the increase in minor thefts in Canada in the late 1900's. In a time period when women were recognized as individual beings and respected for their needs and rights, Lombroso proposed the theory that female criminality was due to biological abnormalities. (bowker,29) Lombroso also suggested that criminal females resembled ancient men mostly due to the fact that women, in general, were much more primitive in their evolution. (Faith, 65) Faith also contends that the property crimes that women do commit are essentially, as she puts it, "feminine offences". Simon argues that the increase in female property crime in Canada is the direct result of the opportunities granted to women by their greater involvement in the workforce in the mid to late nineteen hundreds. Much like the theories proposed for the economic conditions that contribute to the propensity of women to commit more crimes, similar theories have been postulated to explain the correlation between socialization patterns and female criminal activities. A very well known criminology theory that was presented by Caesare Lombroso in the late 19th century was the theory of the "Female Offender" (Bowker, 28). Therefore when taking into consideration the amount of time women spend at their workplace and fulfilling their socially prescribed domestic roles, they are not left with free time to commit those lucrative crimes that Simon discusses (Mann, 97). Although Lombrosos' theory allowed for environmental considerations in the criminal acts of men, it only took into account the physiological formations of women. (Fallen women, 62) Although Simon does make a good argument in regards to the opportunity provided to women with their increased participation in the workforce, her theory lacks consideration of certain factors. The central argument generally made by most feminist criminologists with respect to the cause of the increase in property crime committed by women is that the increase is a direct result of necessity and opportunity. In his findings, Lombroso noted that that the majority of the female inmates had physical abnormalities such as heavy lower jaws, large nasal spines, simple cranial sutures, and wormian bones which he specified as the likely characteristics of a prostate. In fact there can be many instances sited that women have committed property crimes as a result of the mere opportunities that are now available to them.
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Acceptance Essays
