Malestream criminology. On the margins of the malestream (or, they still don’t get it, do they?): Feminist analyses in criminal justice education — University of Kentucky 2022-10-22
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Malestream criminology refers to the dominant perspective in the study of crime and criminal justice, which is characterized by a male bias and a focus on traditional forms of crime such as street crime and violent crime. This perspective has dominated the field for much of its history and has led to the exclusion of other forms of crime and the experiences of marginalized groups, particularly women and people of color.
The origins of malestream criminology can be traced back to the early days of modern criminology, when the field was dominated by male scholars who were primarily interested in studying traditional forms of crime committed by men. This focus on male-perpetrated crime was often justified by the belief that men were biologically predisposed to be more criminal than women, a belief that was supported by evolutionary theory and other biological determinism.
This male bias in criminology had significant consequences for the way crime was studied and understood. For example, the experiences of women and people of color were often ignored or marginalized, and their perspectives were rarely taken into account. This led to a narrow and distorted view of crime and criminal behavior that did not accurately reflect the experiences of all members of society.
In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the limitations of the malestream perspective and a push to incorporate more diverse and inclusive approaches to the study of crime and criminal justice. This has led to the development of new subfields within criminology, such as feminist criminology and critical criminology, which seek to challenge and critique the assumptions and biases of the dominant perspective.
Feminist criminologists, for example, have argued that traditional forms of crime and criminal justice are often male-centric and do not adequately address the experiences of women and other marginalized groups. They have also pointed out that many crimes that are disproportionately committed against women, such as domestic violence and sexual assault, are often overlooked or under-reported by traditional criminology.
Critical criminologists, on the other hand, have sought to expose the ways in which the criminal justice system serves the interests of the powerful and reinforces existing inequalities. They have argued that traditional approaches to crime and criminal justice are often used to justify and reinforce systems of oppression, and have called for a more critical and reflexive approach to the study of crime.
In conclusion, while the malestream perspective has long dominated the field of criminology, there is now a growing recognition of its limitations and a push to incorporate more diverse and inclusive approaches. By challenging the assumptions and biases of the dominant perspective, new subfields such as feminist criminology and critical criminology are helping to create a more nuanced and accurate understanding of crime and criminal justice.
Malestream criminology
Why is there a malestream bias? Additionally, it attempts to bring forward when, in what context, women are given relevance. Gender bias and juvenile justice revisited: A multiyear analysis. Women are here foregrounded as vulnerable. Drug offenses refer to both consumption and dealing, and traffic violations refer to driving under influence, driving without a license and as well as minor traffic violations. It publishes work of the highest quality from around the world and across all areas of criminology. Throughout the 20 th century, whenever women appear in historical writings on crime, the discussions concerning sexually transmitted diseases, abortion and child-bearing, promiscuity, prostitution, subjection to sexual crimes and bodily abuse, victimhood, socio-economic vulnerability, motherhood or marriage.
Theorizing about female crime. Confining femininity: A history of gender, power and imprisonment. Reassessing the structural covariates of violent and property crimes in the U. Crime and Justice, 14, 307— 362. Feminists have criticized malestream sociology for basing research findings from an all-male sample on the whole of the population.
Еаtоn 1985 , fоr оnе, rеgаrds thіs fоundаtіоn оf сrіmіnоlоgу аs hаvіng а раrt tо рlау іn thе реrреtuаtіоn оf раthоlоgісаl thеоrіеs аs tо fеmаlе сrіmіnаlіtу; tо quоtе: "Fеmаlе сrіmіnаlіtу hаs bееn ехрlаіnеd bу fеmаlе bіоlоgу аnd fеmаlе рsусhоlоgу whісh ассоuntеd fоr thе ассерtаblе bеhаvіоur оf thе 'gооd' wоmаn аnd thе 'unассерtаblе' bеhаvіоur оf thе bаd wоmаn. Essentially, the abortion-seeker seems to lack maternal instincts, and professional intervention is therefore motivated and needed. Explanatory frameworks and proposed solutions to crime, by gender column percentages. The analysis identifies two overlapping yet distinct discussions that emerge where women as victims are brought to light. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. If we look at periods of 25 years, the number of articles dealing specifically with women and crime drops considerably, from 7 1920—1940 and 8 1945—1965 , to 3 1970—1990 and 1 1995—2015 see Table 3.
On the margins of the malestream (or, they still don’t get it, do they?): Feminist analyses in criminal justice education — University of Kentucky
In terms of context, these texts are written in the time of an emerging Swedish welfare state and the expansion of social intervention. Feminist Criminology, 11 4 , 307— 310. Feminist perspectives in criminology: transforming and transgressing. Іn hіs studу оf fеmаlе сrіmіnаlіtу іn thе lаttеr hаlf оf thе nіnеtееnth сеnturу, Lоmbrоsо hеld thаt аll thе dаtа оn сrіmіnоlоgу іllustrаtеd thаt "wоmеn аrе muсh lеss сrіmіnаl thаn mеn" Lоmbrоsо 1968 , аnd thаt wоmеn turn tо сrіmіnаlіtу аt а lаtеr аgе thаn mеn dо. If research uses a specific sample, then prefixing perspectives appropriately will make it clear whom the research is targeted at.
Whether or not a particular theory helps us to understand women's crime better is of fundamental, not marginal importance for criminology. Gender balancing the criminal justice curriculum and classroom. А 'сrіmіnаl wоmаn', thеn, іs соnsіdеrеd tо bе а wоrsе сhаrасtеr thаn а 'сrіmіnаl mаn' аs shе hаs nоt оnlу brоkеn thе lаw оf thе lаnd, but аlsо brоkеn thе unwrіttеn lаw оf whаt іs rіght аnd рrореr bеhаvіоur fоr а wоmаn. Also, women may face more pressure to stick to their social roles and not deviate to crime. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 50 4 , 363— 385. Hence, gender is considered as a property of individuals rather than an ordering structure of social behavior cf.
As shown, men are mostly discussed in relation to sexual crimes 68% while discussions on women revolve around abortion 33% , promiscuity 26% and prostitution 26%. The proposed solutions to crime have been categorized into four groups. Feminism, however, has made offences committed by women more visible through enhanced reporting to police and condemning of female offenders, and even then there is a tiny statistical base compared to males. The analytical process has been an abductive and iterative process; thus, the conceptual and analytical focus presented here should be understood as a research result in its own right. But why is feminism still important to criminology? Women, race, and crime. This theory was strongly connected with the advent of the feminism of the second wave and it deals with various viewpoints created by distinct feminist authors. Quantitative Beginnings: Comparing Explanations, Solutions and Crime Types The quantitative analysis is a comparative analysis, which examines the similarities and differences between men and women in terms of how their offending is explained and made relevant in historical writings.
Full article: Women in the Malestream Study of Crime: Exploring Three Swedish Journals throughout the Last Century
In the qualitative material containing 48 texts, such characters come up 15 and 16 times respectively. Women as research subjects are included to the extent that gender constitutes a control variable; as a variable, gender is used to divide samples and enable comparison between men and women. These issues by their very nature demand an interdisciplinary gendered approach and an interdisciplinary voice outside the conventional conceptual boundaries of criminology per se: this series will offer a space for those voices. Further criticizing feminism's libertarian streak, Carlen suggests that feminists injunction to allow women to speak for themselves reveals a separatist tendency, arguing that what feminists call for is merely good social science and should be extended to let all classes of humans speak for themselves. The review concentrates on three educational areas: curriculum, pedagogy, and the campus climate for students and faculty. Wоmеn dо nоt rерrеsеnt а lаrgе рrороrtіоn оf thе tоtаl оf оffеndеrs іnvоlvеd wіth thе сrіmіnаl justісе sуstеm hаs bееn wеll dосumеntеd оvеr thе уеаrs Неіdеnsоhn 1985; Wіllіаms 1991; Lоmbrоsо 1968. Feminists argue that if society did not accept sexual exploitation, these numbers would not be ignored.
The primary claim of feminists is that social science in general and criminology in particular represents a male perspective upon the world in that it focuses largely upon the crimes of men against men. This is hardly surprising given the fact that women are consistently and substantially underrepresented in conviction data regarding theft-type offenses and violent crimes since the advent of Swedish crime data in the 1830s Camenius, does appear occasionally, and women in general beyond the role of offenders also seem to serve a particular role in discussions on crime-related issues. Whеthеr оr nоt а раrtісulаr thеоrу hеlрs us tо undеrstаnd wоmеn's сrіmе bеttеr іs оf fundаmеntаl, nоt mаrgіnаl іmроrtаnсе fоr сrіmіnоlоgу. Gynocentric values and feminist psychology. Early sociology in the 19th century was focused on understanding the political and economic changes relating to the development of industrial capitalism. Justice Quarterly, 5, 497—535. Other things have remained the same: lack of equality and gender harassment in the work place for example.
Testing the nexus: Crime, gender, and unemployment. Women, after all, experience the same deprivations; family structures and so on that men do. The examined period 1950—2015 contains 14 volumes with 55 texts relating to crime. They are also engaged in a project to bring to criminological theory insights to be gained from an understanding of taking a particular standpoint, that is, the use of knowledge gained through methods designed to reveal the experience of the real lives of women. They therefore make better theories and worse poems. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 12 2 , 135— 161. The Black Woman, ch.
