CRIM 104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Cesare Lombroso, Against Our Will, Sisters In Crime

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Criminology
• Course: CRIM 104
• Professor: Barry Cartwright

Document Summary

Until 1960s and 1970s, most theories of female crime. Did not examine effects of the social structure. Wrote his doctoral dissertation ( on a difference in the metabolism of the. Attributed decline in women"s stature in society. Men had more sexual energy than women. Women inherently deceitful because of their anatomy. Women committed many crimes that went undetected. Emerging interest in feminist studies in sociology. Structural functionalists saw gender-based division of labour in family. Men perform instrumental functions in the workplace. As women gained more freedom, became more assertive, Would be in position to commit more crimes. Female criminality was shaped by family, social and occupational structures. Waitressing in caf or working as cashier in non-unionized store. Leads to sort of petty property crimes. Some try to work within existing system; Acknowledges that deviance and risk-taking activities can be fun or thrilling. Instead of focusing on male criminality and effectiveness/ineffectiveness of informal/formal social controls.