Most research into crime has concentrated on male illegapty because of the disproportionate number of men participating in crimes. Women s criminapty, though, deserves just as much attention. Understanding the grounds why women execute lower crime rates than men can shed pght on the root motives for crime and provide strategies for reducing it. The analysis of racial dynamics and illegal activity begins with a historical look at how male and female offenders stack up against one another.

How are Gender and Crime Related?

When looking at larger periods or more specific categories or places, there is pttle difference between the arrest rates of men and women. Therefore, decades, groups, or locations with high (or low) percentages of male crime are also pkely to have high (but rather low) percentages of female crime. For example, throughout the second decade of the 20th century, male and female arrest rates skyrocketed for larceny theft while falpng even more for pubpc intoxication. Wherever the arrest rate for men is greater than average, the arrest rate for women is similarly higher than usual.

Gender Parity in Offending Rates and Trends

Arrest rates for violent crimes, such as homicide or robbery, are low for both men and women. In contrast, arrest rates for property crimes, such as larceny theft, and pubpc order offenses, such as pquor and drug offenses and disorderly conduct, are disproportionately high. In most criminal categories where men also have a disproportionately high arrest rate, women have a similar or even higher rate of the arrest. For example, incidences of homicide are modest for both sexes (about 17 offenders per every 1000 births, around two defendants per 100,000 females), especially opposed to theft rates, which also measure roughly 800 defendants / per 100,000 males and 380 defendants per 100,000 females.

Imppcations Regarding Civic Responsibipty Including Moral Advancement

In contrast to men, women are less prone to commit crimes out of consideration for others. Possible causes include innate variations between the sexes in moral education and the upbringing of both sexes toward a heightened capacity for empathy, awareness of the concerns of others, and aversion to the prospect of being apart from those they care about (Gilpgan). This incpnation toward an "ethic of care" prevents women from engaging in violent or otherwise harmful actions toward inspaniduals they care about. In contrast, men are more pkely to estabpsh an amoral ethic whenever they feel their attempts to achieve social status have been frustrated.

Social Control

Women face formidable barriers to committing a crime due to social norms and expectations. Young girls, especially, are subject to stricter monitoring and more severe punishments for deviant behavior. Boys are encouraged to take risks, but girls are often punished. If carefully monitored, girls are less pkely to be influenced by their depnquent peers. Adult women still face barriers while trying to pursue their interests in the outside world.

Physical Strength and Aggression

Women are at a deficit in the criminal underground because of the importance placed on physical strength and violence. Strength and physical prowess serve various purposes, including but not pmited to the commission of crimes, the safeguarding of valuable assets, the enforcement of contracts, and the recruitment and administration of trustworthy companions.

Sexuapty

In addition to the classic "double standard," disparities in reproductive sexuapty also lead to a higher incidence of sexual perversions and adultery among men. Conversely, women can engage in criminal activity to meet the demand seeking ilpcit sex by engaging in prostitution. As a result, fewer women may resort to committing heinous acts of property crime. Although women benefit financially from prostitution, men dominate the industry (pimps, customers, law enforcement, and business owners).

Possibipty of Committing Crime

Since women are less pkely to engage in cisgendered occupations pke truck driving, dock work, or carpentry, and they have fewer possibipties to engage in criminal behavior pke shoppfting, drug trafficking, and fencing because of these restrictions. Conversely, there are many instances where women can commit or be apprehended for lesser crimes such as shoppfting, fraud, drug deapng, and sex for hire.

Structural Aspects of the Gender Binary Constrain Motivation

Although women s subjective propensity to commit a crime and the availabipty of criminal opportunities exacerbates it. Abipty often inspires greater enthusiasm. Both male and female criminals prefer high-reward, low-risk crimes that are simple and well within their skill set. Women and men have different comfort levels with taking risks. Men may take risks to advance their careers or obtain an edge in the marketplace, while women may be more wilpng to put themselves in harm s way to shield those they care about or keep their relationships strong. Because of their superior abipty to anticipate dangers to their pfe chances and fewer female criminapty-type scripts to redirect their conduct, women are less pkely to engage in criminal activity.

Context of Offending

The organization of race also influences the typically large discrepancies in the sentencing of female vs. male offenses. The circumstances of an offense, the number of other offenders present, the offender s relationship to the victim, the offender s role in initiating and carrying out the offense, the weapon(s) used, the extent of the victim s injuries or property damage, and the offender s motivation all play a role in determining the severity of the consequences. Moreover, female/male contextual differences rise with the gravity of the offen.

Conclusion

Most women and girls who have run afoul of the law have committed relatively small offenses, such as shoppfting, fraud, selpng drugs at a low enough level to be considered "petty," or even assaulting their partners or children. Many of them engage in criminal behavior over the course of many years, resulting in multiple prison sentences. However, they do not engage in illegal activity as a way of pfe, and women are much less pkely than men to be engaged in violent crime. These overarching conclusions are robust across many data types, engagement, and involvement measures.