According to Chesney-Lind (2017), almost every social interaction involves gender as a driver of behavioral choices. Due to this fact, male and female individuals grow up to have disparate experiences. Moreover, the actions of girls and boys are rendered differently by those observing and evaluating them (Chesney-Lind, 2017). Since patriarchy is the determinant of gender role division, it views female delinquency not in the same way as male criminal activity. Recent research supports the theory established by Chesney-Lind (2017) and offers valuable insights into female delinquency.
One of the core ideas expressed by Chesney-Lind (2017) is that girls are highly susceptible to abuse and violent treatment. Another opinion is that those females who attempt to leave their homes, where they are abused, are considered as runaways and as sexually profligate individuals. As a result, criminal actions committed by women are viewed through the prism of their vulnerability and victimization.
Research by van der Put, van Vugt, Stams, and Hendriks (2014) indicates that the main characteristic of the girls who have committed sexual offenses is sexual abuse they have experienced outside the family. Scholars also note that females who commit non-sexual violent crimes usually have a history of such negative issues as truancy or dropping out of school, parental and behavioral problems, and running away from home.
Usually, if a girl develops antisocial behavior at an early age, such conduct is likely to aggravate and lead to serious crimes in adulthood (Pechorro, Gonçalves, Marôco, Nunes, & Jesus, 2014). Duarte and de Carvalho (2017) report that females consider their social and family problems as the cause of their delinquent practices. At the same time, scholars note that girls do not view delinquency as the “rejection of their femininity and gender roles” (Duarte & de Carvalho, 2017, p. 258). Therefore, Chesney-Lind’s (2017) theory of female delinquency is supported by recent studies.
References
Chesney-Lind, M. (2017). A feminist theory of female delinquency. In T. C. Cullen, R. Agnew, & P. Wilcox (Eds.), Criminological theory: Past to present: Essential readings (6th ed.) (pp. 292-298). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Duarte, V., & de Carvalho, M. J. L. (2017). Female delinquency in Portugal: What girls have to say about their offending behaviors. Gender Issues, 34(3), 258-274.
Pechorro, P., Gonçalves, R. A., Marôco, J., Nunes, C., & Jesus, S. N. (2014). Age of crime onset and psychopathic traits in female juvenile delinquents. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 58(9), 1101-1119.
van der Put, C., van Vugt, E. S., Stams, G. J. J. M., & Hendriks, J. (2014). Psychosocial and developmental characteristics of female adolescents who have committed sexual offenses. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 26(4), 330-342.