Question

•Give examples of theories of criminology that might explain gender differences in why certain crimes are committed. Select an example of two or three crimes to respond to this question

Answer 1

Gender difference in crime is most striking for sexual violence. Women are five times as likely as men to experience sexual assault. Women also suffer more repeated and systematic violence, severe assault, severe injuries and hospitalisations then men. The 2011 arrest data from the FBI indicates that males constituted 98.9% of those arrested for forcible rape, 79.7% of those arrested for offenses against family and children and 77.8% of those arrested for aggravated assault.

Biosocial criminology is an interdisciplinary field that aims to explain crime and antisocial behavior by exploring both biological factors such as genetics, neuropsychology, and evolutionary psychology, along with environmental variables. This may explain why sexual violence is more among men. Acts of dominance and violence are common ways by which males attract and protect their mates among our primate relatives. In humans, male aggressiveness is often rewarded by greater access to, attention from, and success with women. Because violence is so closely linked to sex in our internal architecture, acts of violence maybe expressed through sexual dominance.