Introduction
Scholars have developed theories of criminology with an aim of giving clarifications behind the motives of committing a crime by human beings. These theories attempt to give clarifications as to why the rate of crime differs between the male and female genders, between the high class and lower class, and even why the crime rate is dominant among teenagers and among young adults. The wide literature that has been written over this topic, there is not a single theory, which has been able to give a comprehensive explanation of the motive behind the crime among a given population. Generally in the society, men are known to commit more crimes as compared to women due to the various characteristics and the difference in the roles of these two genders (Chesney-Lind, & Shelden, 1998). In the US, men are known to commit more serious crimes. Among the major causes leading to arrest of the American male population include; breaking into buildings, stealing of third parties’ properties, and the use of weapons in violent criminal activities. Other minor cases leading to their arrests include drunk driving and drug abuse. In order to give an in-depth explanation of the above claims, this paper is going to discuss three criminology theories (Self Control, General Strain, and Life Course). This will enable readers to understand why males commit more crimes than females.
Why males commit more crimes than females
In the US, arrest data show a significance difference between male and female delinquency, whereby, the status offenses by women is 27.5% and 10% for men (Mason, & Windle, 2002). Men and women are arrested for various reasons. However, there are more incidences of females being arrested for minor crimes like prostitution or running away from home. Similarly, men are often arrested for more serious crimes, for example, drugs, robbery, and other violent activities. Research shows that the population of men involved in crime is higher than that of women and that men tend to last longer in criminal activities than women as opposed to women. The annual mean of homicide offenses committed by males is up to 14 times more likely than that of women (U.S. Department of Justice, 2005). Equally, 75% of crimes that are committed by females are minor offenses, while between 15-18% of crimes committed by males involve the use of weapons (U.S. Department of Justice, 1999).
Statistics from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (Bureau of Statistics, 1997), shows that members of the male gender more than five times more likely to walk around with hand guns as compared to the female gender. The statistics showed a ratio of 16:3 for males and females who carry handguns. Further statistics show that males are three times more likely to engage in a gang than females. According to Shelden (2006), men are also arrested for drug and theft-related cases than women in the US. In the US, men are known to commit more serious crimes. Among the major cases leading to arrest of the American male population include; breaking into buildings, stealing of third parties’ properties, and the use of weapons in violent criminal activities. Other minor cases leading to their arrests include drunk driving and drug abuse. Despite the above statistics, it is a fact that both the female and male genders commit different degree of criminal activities at different rates. It is also true that most criminal cases are committed by the two genders are far more than the ones that are reported or are in the records of the authorities. Females commit more, but minor criminal offenses while the male gender commit more crimes that are serious.
Theories of Delinquency
As aforementioned, this paper is going to discuss three major criminal theories of delinquency Self Control, General Strain, and the Life Course in order to explain the gender difference in commission of the crime. The first theory is the General Strain theory, which was developed by Agnew, and it states that a crime is caused by strains that one faces in life. Therefore, in the effort to reduce these strains, an individual is likely to engage in criminal activities. On the other hand, the Self Control theory of crime states that crime is caused by the inability of an individual to control his own self. This is due to lack of self-control which leads to the inability to develop skills to cope appropriately with individual desires of acquiring something in life. Finally, the Life Course theory of crime rationalizes an individual’s desistance from criminal activities. Desistance is caused by events like employment, military tasks or marriage.
- General Strain Theory
Agnew developed this Strain theory, and it states that a crime is caused by strains that one faces in life. When an individual is not treated as he expects in the society, he is under pressure or rather some sort of strain, which forces him to engage in non-conformist conduct (Chesney-Lind, & Shelden, 1998). One's coping skills like emotions and personality are influenced by internal (i.e. emotions) and external (i.e. delinquent peers) environmental factors, and they determine how well an individual will cope with their strains. These causes’ three major types of strain, for example, losing positive stimuli, availability of negative stimuli and failure to achieve the goals and objectives that are valuable. In such circumstances, an individual will fail to recognize the legitimate me ways with which he is supposed to acquire his means of livelihood, for example, the material goods he needs for survival. Persons coping skills will determine whether they engage in committing crime or not. Individuals with positive coping skills will not engage in crime while those with negative coping skills will engage in crime (Chesney-Lind, & Shelden, 1998). If the personality traits of an individual are under strain, one may react angrily, an event which may lead to delinquency. Despite this, this reaction can be controlled, and this is what determines if one will actually engage in criminal activities.
- Self-control Theory of Crime
It was developed by Hirschi and Gottfredson in order to enhance the Social Control Theory of crime. The proponents of this theory argue that the ability to control oneself from compulsive reaction will eventually lead to restraining from criminal activities (Makhaie, Silverman, & Le Grange, 1999). This requires one to time to think and compose himself in the event of provocation. The developers of this theory refer to the crime as an act of fraud or force that one engages in due to self-interest. Ale is known to have little or no self-control in the society. Therefore, with regards to this, male is known to be the victims of crimes aimed at achieving their persona gains and interests. Due to this nature of men, they engage in drug abuse in order to get instant gratification, they carry around handguns for the purpose of self-defence or even to use it to terrorize their targets.
- Life Course Theory of Crime
This criminal theory explains that criminal activities begin from childhood and goes on into adulthood. This theory focuses on how antisocial and offensive behaviors develops among the various groups of people. The proponents of this theory explain that there are several risk factors, which affect people as they grow at different stages of their lives, for example, bad neighbourhoods, poor parental guidance and criminal opportunities (Sampson, & Laub, 2003). Men are the most vulnerable gender to these factors and in the event that they find themselves in these circumstances, they are very likely to engage in criminal activities. This theory brings forward the concept of trajectory, which is the path of development over an individual’s life, and it is made up of long-term attitudes and behaviors of a person. It also brings in the concept of transition in the life of an individual, and it is made up of events like marriage or employment. The two concepts causes turning points, which are changes in the life of an individual.
This theory is able to give an explanation of the gender difference in commission of criminal acts. This can be done by analysing the significance that the two genders place on the marriage and employment. The lifestyles and the behavior of the male gender are highly dependent on the trajectories and transitions (Sampson, & Laub, 2003). If a male gender is exposed to the aforementioned negative factors of life, it is very likely that he will conform to the antisocial behavior leading to instances of crime. Equally, a man who is not employed or married will live a life full of frustrations and in the end, his lack of self-control will lead him to engage in criminal activities. On the other hand, the female gender, place a very great significance and highly committed in the event that they are married or are in employment. When a woman is married or is in the employment sector, her chances of engaging in crime are greatly reduced as a result of their commitments to duties that come along with these responsibilities. This is mainly because women are more responsive to romantic activities than men. It is also difficult for the female gender to engage in crime in their teenage because of the high moral expectation that the society has placed on them. A woman whom is a criminal risk losing her partner, thus, the moral standards of women are higher than that of men regardless of the life course they are exposed to.
Conclusion
In conclusion, criminal activities are committed by both female and male genders, however, the male gender commits more crime than the female gender. There are several theories that explain the reason behind these motives. However, there is no one single theory that gives a comprehensive explanation. This criminal theory explains that criminal activities begin from childhood and goes on into adulthood. This theory focuses on how antisocial and offensive behaviors develops among the various groups of people. This theory argues that the ability to control oneself from compulsive reaction will eventually lead to restraining from criminal activities. This requires one to time to think and compose himself in the event of provocation. The Strain Theory of Crime states that crime is caused by strains that one faces in life. Female gender are known to commit less serious crimes while the male gender commits more serious crimes. The environmental factors are the major contributors to criminal activities.
References
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