Criminology: The Four Waves Of Feminism

Criminology has historically sought to explain the causes of crime, with the attention being primarily focused on why men commit a crime. There have been numerous theories that sought to explain why males commit crime however little attention has been paid as to why females commit crimes. With women becoming more liberated and active outside of the home, women were more likely to encounter the criminal justice system. This increased contact led to the criminal justice system shaping feminism. Criminology has influenced feminism by showing that men and women can both be held responsible for their actions when committing crimes. In earlier years, women were more likely not to be held responsible for the crimes committed because they were looked …show more content…
During the first wave of feminism, women were successful in gaining the right to votes. The second wave examined the differences between men and women particularly in the workplace and society. The third wave is where women began to push for equality regardless of background, understanding that women had different life experiences based on individual circumstances. The fourth and current wave is in the era of social media and has played a prominent role in providing a voice to women in addition to providing a platform to discuss and challenge the androcentric culture. With the waves of feminism, there have been shifts in both the public and private …show more content…
Each form of feminism presents different viewpoints that give criminology a better look on how to continue to work towards including feminism in criminology. Cultural feminism states that modern society is hurt by encouraging masculine behavior while encouraging the feminine behavior. Today, feminine behavior is more allowed or considered to be acceptable since women have taken control of their lives. The question remains on why feminine behavior is still acceptable. What differentiates it from males when the behaviors can be the same. If a male has violent behavior, he automatically gets reprimanded when the women behaving the same way gets an ovation for standing up for themselves. There’s no specifics on saying which form of feminism will work best in the future but continued research will give more information and allow feminism to be an important part of society. As we continue to consider criminology, gender differences in the criminal justice system will suffice to allow the same results when crimes has been