What Is Feminist Criminology

For years the equality of women and men have been the central focus of discussion. Criminology has solely aimed their studies on men who commit crimes rather than women. The reason being is that more males commit crimes than females. Studies also show that men also commit more serious offenses than females as to why females get overlooked. Women as criminals even today do not get as much notoriety unless it’s a major crime being committed. Researchers considered female criminals as unnatural female behavior and that females are more nurturing, docile, and caring. The Women’s Movement was a fight for equal opportunity for men and women. The start of educational and occupational opportunities became a staple of women in the field of criminology.

After all women, when considered at all, have been represented in negative and stereotypical ways. The Women’s Movement also focused on social situations such as gender-based differences in socialization and inequalities in power (Cullen, Agnew, & Wilcox, pg. 325).
For Example, the outcome has been unsuccessful to consider significant differences in male and female pathways into crime, types of crime, victimization, and punishments.

Feminist criminology looks to address this restriction by improving our understanding of both male and female offending as well as criminal justice system responses to their crimes. They also try to find ways to place gender at the center of the discussion, bringing women’s ways of understanding the world into the knowledge on crime, criminality, and responses to crime. It is obvious that men commit more crimes than women. Criminology was developed to help understand why people commit crimes so that laws could be passed to reduce crimes. Women not only commit less crimes they commit crimes that are really unimportant as to why they have been ignored since the 1970’s. Today, women are still committing less crimes but the types of crimes are those similar to men. Feminist criminology includes a wide range of theoretical perspectives and methodologies that discusses how gender forms knowledge at the center of intellectual analysis. It emphases on an extensive variety of issues related to women and crime, including hypothetical explanations of crime, responses to female offending, programming in women’s prisons, women as workers in the field of corrections, and the different needs of women prisoners. Feminist believed it is not a standardized method; it integrates the liberal feminist focus on equal

opportunities for women.
Cultural difference feminism suggests the importance of equity, not necessarily equality (Cronin, 2016). As it relates to the incarceration of women within the federal criminal justice system, cultural feminism supports the concept that it is unnecessary and in a woman’s best interest not to be treated the same way as men in the system. As an alternative, cultural difference feminism discusses the unique needs that have women and that these needs must not go unnoticed. Women’s pathways to crime are unique, thus women within the system need to be treated differently (Cronin, 2016). The principles of law do not necessarily cater to society and family, which can be a disadvantage to women within the justice system. Women tend to be more social than men, they are more family oriented, and usually the main caregiver for children.
The Marxist feminist emphasize on class relations and capitalism as the source of women’s oppression.

Socialist feminists’ combine male domination with political and economic structures in society as the foundation of inequality, and the radical feminist concentrate on patriarchal domination of women. However, these feminist methods have in common their attention on the ways in which the gendered structure of society is related to crime. Most of todays, criminological work concentrated on male offenders and criminal justice system responses to male crime. However, female incarceration rates were steadily increasing, as a result the study of women, crime, and the criminal justice system took place. The reason females commit less crimes are because they have more self-control than men. Women are more involved in childcare and more closely tied to the household (Cullen, Agnew, & Wilcox, pg.

331).
In addition, the development of radical feminism suggest that women’s behavior is dictated by men’s control over women. Boys and men see themselves as being dominant, having more power than women, and the right to control them (Cronin, 2016). Violence against women became a very serious matter and some would say the reason many women decided to fight back. Programs were started such as shelters for battered women and rape laws were established to protect the victims from unwarranted scrutiny. The feminist approach to rape included the viewpoint of the victim, and eventually rape shield laws were enacted that protected the victim during court cases. The feminist study on rape and intimate violence impacted majority of criminology. This led to a revised interpretation of the complications of victimization. When women are victimized it is very different from men. For example, women are more than likely to be victimized by someone they are close to. From the radical feminist perspective, this is because societal foundations and norms enable the victimization of women.
The needs of women differ in various ways and one cannot expect the treatments for men to be the same as women. A woman is more than likely to have suffered a history of being abused. Women offenders are known to have different mental and physical health needs than those of men. They are vulnerable to stress and depression, which can cause them to act in rage or violence. Studies show that women commit crimes based on drug abuse, low economic status, and from being in poverty. Criminal behavior in females stems from issues of drug addiction and abuse, mental illness, homelessness and relationship issues (Cronin, 2016). Gender-specific theory is used as a unique treatment strategy that focuses on women’s specific needs and concerns. Under the pathways theory, it states that women become offenders as a means to support a drug habit, she may have been abused as a child and decided that the streets were her option of escape. She learned how to take care of herself by selling drugs, stealing and/or prostituting. Another issue we see that is most common today is women who kill or seriously injure their partners, because they are tired of being abused or their children are being abused.
Furthermore, because women are closely tied to relationships it is important that treatment fits their needs. Some find that group treatments are effective because they provide successful problem solving strategies, target negative personal patterns, meets the personal needs of women, and allows them to practice pro-social skills (Cronin, 2016). Women who have drug addictions or experience some type of trauma, would do better with counseling based treatments. There must be an acknowledgement that there is a difference in gender and that there is a specific need for gender-responsive services for women. Most importantly, women need to feel safe, that they are being heard, and respected. Policies should be created to promote healthy interactions with family and the community. Counseling and support groups are the most effective methods for teaching women how to cope with life’s issues.
In Conclusion, there has been a significant change in the way feminist criminologists view women as offenders. Over the years there has been a significant increase in women being institutionalized. The reasons being is that women have been in the background for so long and their voice isn’t being heard. Women suffer from domestic violence, physical, verbal, emotional, and mental abuse. They are such emotional beings that it is difficult sometimes to cope or even get the necessary help they need. Their methods of coping are using drugs, prostitution, and for some murder. I do not think that the relationship between men and women will ever be equal because of the society we live in. It is really up to us as citizens to understand that there is a difference in men and women, know what those differences are, and try to respect those boundaries.