Recent research suggests that enforcing strict adherence to traditional gender roles and idolization of hyper-masculinity can have negative effects on society, one of which may be perpetuating male involvement in criminal activities (Rivers, et. al 2011, Fine 2010). Contemporary men’s studies examines the ways in which the pressure to behave in a masculine fashion can influence males to commit crime. This as a concept can be seen in the work of sociologist James Messerschmidt, who posits that committing crime is an outlet for men to perform masculinity. This was developed from the expansion of Raewyn Connell’s theory of hegemonic masculinity. Contrary to the idea of doing masculinity, sociologists David Gadd and Tony Jefferson analyze involvement
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There’s no question that individual experiences contribute to why people act in certain ways and that environmental factors can influence male involvement in crime. However, if psychosocial factors contribute to why men are the majority of perpetrators of crime and “doing gender” is not a factor, why then is there so much less female involvement in crime, particularly crimes that involve power and domination? Females also experience psychosocial factors that tend to lead men to committing crime, yet there is a much smaller percentage of women who commit crime. If Messerschmidt’s ideas are applied here, it can be proposed that the lack of involvement in crime is a part of “doing gender” for women, considering that societal expectations for women involve conformity and compliancy. While the psychosocial approach does possess academic merit, it does not address why men are still extremely more likely to commit these crimes than …show more content…
This can be observed in the high number of male involvement in crimes that involve aggression and violence, which can be described as the performance of traditional masculinity. Crime can be a resource men use for “doing” masculinity, particularly violent and sex crimes, because the execution of these crimes rely on dominance and power. The concept of “doing gender” is not the single explanation as to why there is a much higher percentage of men who commit crime than women, however it is a key concept in understanding why this occurs. Male involvement in crime has been heavily researched and debated, and there is much analytical research and evidence which demonstrates that crime is a heavily gendered issue. However there is not much being done in addressing this phenomena. There are two issues at hand: the existence of cultural and societal pressure to conform to gender stereotypes, and the fact that traits associated with masculinity are about dominance and aggression. It is imperative that westernized society’s perceptions of gender and gender identities be modified and developed in order to appropriately deal with the issues of gendered crime and idolization of
There’s no question that individual experiences contribute to why people act in certain ways and that environmental factors can influence male involvement in crime. However, if psychosocial factors contribute to why men are the majority of perpetrators of crime and “doing gender” is not a factor, why then is there so much less female involvement in crime, particularly crimes that involve power and domination? Females also experience psychosocial factors that tend to lead men to committing crime, yet there is a much smaller percentage of women who commit crime. If Messerschmidt’s ideas are applied here, it can be proposed that the lack of involvement in crime is a part of “doing gender” for women, considering that societal expectations for women involve conformity and compliancy. While the psychosocial approach does possess academic merit, it does not address why men are still extremely more likely to commit these crimes than …show more content…
This can be observed in the high number of male involvement in crimes that involve aggression and violence, which can be described as the performance of traditional masculinity. Crime can be a resource men use for “doing” masculinity, particularly violent and sex crimes, because the execution of these crimes rely on dominance and power. The concept of “doing gender” is not the single explanation as to why there is a much higher percentage of men who commit crime than women, however it is a key concept in understanding why this occurs. Male involvement in crime has been heavily researched and debated, and there is much analytical research and evidence which demonstrates that crime is a heavily gendered issue. However there is not much being done in addressing this phenomena. There are two issues at hand: the existence of cultural and societal pressure to conform to gender stereotypes, and the fact that traits associated with masculinity are about dominance and aggression. It is imperative that westernized society’s perceptions of gender and gender identities be modified and developed in order to appropriately deal with the issues of gendered crime and idolization of