Perception of a group or an individual can affect what is considered deviance.
Laura Browder a single mother was held responsible for her deviant act. What makes this a controversial case is the fact that Browder is an African American woman whose deviant act was defined as a criminal offense. Several factors shaped the concept on why Browder was seemingly guilty and her reasoning for committing that violation. Deviance is a violation of the social norm; the severity of the action can vary by who is performing the act itself. A major influence on deviance is perception; that is altered by factors such as race, gender, and class. Racial classification is only one of the factors that are put under a social hierarchy and scrutinized by general …show more content…
Browder, a mother of a six-year-old and two-year-old was attending a job interview and did not have enough time to arrange childcare. A news report states the police acknowledged her children being allegedly unattended at Houston Memorial City Mall’s food court (CBS, 2015 p.1). On July 15th, Browder was arrested and charged with abandoning her children. The news article released a statement to KHOU where the mother claimed she was no more than thirty feet away and able to directly watch them. (CBS, 2015 p.1). A CBS news report specified, Houston County’s Children’s Protective Service offered to help Browder find a daycare. (p.2). However, Browder’s case is currently being under investigation as of July 2015. Because of this deviant act being severely looked down upon, the arrest of Browder may affect her new job opportunity. Furthermore, this deviant act may happen again due to a lack of childcare. Browder’s behavior correlates to the Strain Theory because of the disparity between job opportunity and adequate resources to own childcare. This imbalance led to the conduct of the deviant act. If there was an equilibrium in both matters, then Browder would not have to deviate and will gain more opportunities. However, since the mother was unable to obtain childcare, she had no other choice but to engage in this deviant deed and leave her kids allegedly unattended. Therefore, the
Laura Browder a single mother was held responsible for her deviant act. What makes this a controversial case is the fact that Browder is an African American woman whose deviant act was defined as a criminal offense. Several factors shaped the concept on why Browder was seemingly guilty and her reasoning for committing that violation. Deviance is a violation of the social norm; the severity of the action can vary by who is performing the act itself. A major influence on deviance is perception; that is altered by factors such as race, gender, and class. Racial classification is only one of the factors that are put under a social hierarchy and scrutinized by general …show more content…
Browder, a mother of a six-year-old and two-year-old was attending a job interview and did not have enough time to arrange childcare. A news report states the police acknowledged her children being allegedly unattended at Houston Memorial City Mall’s food court (CBS, 2015 p.1). On July 15th, Browder was arrested and charged with abandoning her children. The news article released a statement to KHOU where the mother claimed she was no more than thirty feet away and able to directly watch them. (CBS, 2015 p.1). A CBS news report specified, Houston County’s Children’s Protective Service offered to help Browder find a daycare. (p.2). However, Browder’s case is currently being under investigation as of July 2015. Because of this deviant act being severely looked down upon, the arrest of Browder may affect her new job opportunity. Furthermore, this deviant act may happen again due to a lack of childcare. Browder’s behavior correlates to the Strain Theory because of the disparity between job opportunity and adequate resources to own childcare. This imbalance led to the conduct of the deviant act. If there was an equilibrium in both matters, then Browder would not have to deviate and will gain more opportunities. However, since the mother was unable to obtain childcare, she had no other choice but to engage in this deviant deed and leave her kids allegedly unattended. Therefore, the