Feminist Explanations of Crime and Gender Patterns - Worksheets, Questions and Revision

13 original exam-style questions - 4 pages of questions with a full mark scheme - free printable PDF.

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This topic is chapter 4 of GCSE Sociology: Crime and deviance Practice Book.

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5.4 Feminist Explanations of Crime and Gender Patterns

AQA 8192 · about 55 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Use sociological vocabulary and name sociologists where you can.

Two women of similar age and financial background are both experiencing serious hardship. One has a stable, supportive family life. The other has recently left an unhappy and controlling relationship and has little family support.

Using Carlen's concept of the gender deal, explain why the second woman might, according to Carlen's theory, be more likely to see crime as an option.

(Total for Question 1 is 6 marks)

Feminist sociologists have also examined how the criminal justice system might treat men and women differently.

Define the 'chivalry thesis'.

(Total for Question 2 is 4 marks)

Not all sociologists accept the chivalry thesis without qualification.

(Total for Question 3 is 4 marks)

Explain one way that being a mother might, according to feminist sociologists, affect a woman's likelihood of receiving a prison sentence compared with a man convicted of a similar offence.

(Total for Question 4 is 4 marks)

Explain one reason why feminist sociologists argue crime should not be studied only by looking at male offenders.

(Total for Question 5 is 2 marks)

Compare Heidensohn's control theory and Carlen's class deal/gender deal as explanations for lower recorded female offending.

(Total for Question 6 is 4 marks)

Heidensohn's theory rests on the concept of patriarchal control.

(Total for Question 7 is 2 marks)

Heidensohn identified different settings in which patriarchal control operates.

(a)Explain how Heidensohn argued women are controlled 'at home'.(2)

(b)Explain how Heidensohn argued women are controlled 'in public'.(2)

(Total for Question 8 is 4 marks)

Explain how Heidensohn argued women are controlled 'at work'.

(Total for Question 9 is 4 marks)

Carlen also identified a second implicit 'deal'.

(Total for Question 10 is 4 marks)

State one criticism often made of Carlen's study.

(Total for Question 11 is 2 marks)

State one criticism often made of Heidensohn's control theory.

(Total for Question 12 is 2 marks)

Pat Carlen's concept describing the implicit promise of reward for working within the law is called the...

A) gender deal
B) class deal
C) strain theory
D) master status

(Total for Question 13 is 1 mark)

Mark scheme · 5.4 Feminist Explanations of Crime and Gender Patterns

Question 1

B1 identifies the gender deal as the implicit promise of reward for conforming to a traditional female or family role
B1 explains the first woman's stable family life means the gender deal is still broadly being honoured for her
B1 explains the second woman's unhappy, unsupported situation means the gender deal has broken down or is not available to her
B1 links this absence of reward to Carlen's argument that crime can then appear a more reasonable choice
B1 correctly notes that financial hardship alone, shared by both women, is not what makes the difference in Carlen's argument here; it is the state of the gender deal
B1 accurate use of Carlen's terminology throughout
Answer: The first woman's stable family life means her gender deal is still broadly honoured, giving her a reason to conform; the second woman's unhappy, unsupported situation means her gender deal has effectively broken down, so, according to Carlen, she has less reason to conform and crime may look like a more reasonable option, even though both women face similar financial hardship.

Question 2

B1 the chivalry thesis argues the criminal justice system, e.g. the police and courts, treats women more leniently than men for similar offences (oe)
B1 development, e.g. women may be more likely to receive a caution rather than a charge for a similar offence
B1 further point, e.g. this leniency is contested and debated among sociologists rather than universally accepted
B1 correct use of the term 'chivalry thesis'
Answer: The chivalry thesis argues the criminal justice system treats women more leniently than men for similar offences, for example through cautions rather than charges, though this claim is debated among sociologists.

Question 3

B1 identifies a recognised criticism, e.g. leniency may not be shared equally, and can particularly benefit women seen as conforming to traditional expectations of femininity
B1 development, e.g. women judged to have broken gender norms, for example through violent crime, can instead be treated especially harshly
B1 identifies this pattern as sometimes called 'double deviance': being punished both for the offence and for departing from expected gender behaviour
B1 further point, e.g. this suggests the criminal justice system's treatment of women may depend heavily on how far a woman's behaviour matches or breaks traditional expectations, not simply on being female
Answer: Critics argue chivalry is not shared equally: it may particularly benefit women seen as conforming to traditional femininity, while women judged to have broken gender norms, for example through violent crime, can be treated especially harshly, sometimes called 'double deviance'.

Question 4

B1 identifies that courts may be reluctant to separate young children from their primary carer
B1 development, e.g. this can lead to more non-custodial sentences, such as community orders, for mothers than for otherwise similar male offenders
B1 further point, e.g. this reflects wider social expectations about women's caring roles rather than the seriousness of the offence alone
B1 correctly links this to wider debates about gendered treatment in the criminal justice system introduced in Q12 and Q13
Answer: Courts may be reluctant to separate young children from their primary carer, so mothers convicted of an offence may be more likely to receive a non-custodial sentence than a man convicted of a similar offence, reflecting wider social expectations about women's caring roles.

Question 5

B1 identifies that criminology historically focused mainly on male offending
B1 development, e.g. this risks giving an incomplete or distorted picture of crime, its patterns and its causes
Answer: Criminology historically focused mainly on male offending, which feminist sociologists argue risks giving an incomplete or distorted picture of crime, its patterns and its causes.

Question 6

B1 identifies that both are feminist explanations focusing on how patriarchal social structures shape women's behaviour
B1 explains Heidensohn emphasises broad, everyday control across the home, public space and work
B1 explains Carlen focuses more specifically on the material and emotional 'deals' offered to working-class women and what happens when these deals break down
B1 development noting the two explanations are complementary rather than contradictory, both pointing to patriarchal structures rather than biology as the cause of gender differences in recorded crime
Answer: Both are feminist explanations rooted in patriarchal social structures: Heidensohn emphasises broad, everyday control across home, public space and work, while Carlen focuses more specifically on the material 'class deal' and emotional 'gender deal' offered to working-class women; the two views are complementary rather than contradictory.

Question 7

B1 social control exercised by men over women, restricting women's behaviour and opportunities within a male-dominated society (oe)
B1 development, e.g. operating in different settings, such as the home, in public and at work
Answer: Social control exercised by men over women, restricting women's behaviour and opportunities within a male-dominated society; it can operate in the home, in public and at work.

Question 8

(a) B1 identifies that domestic responsibilities such as housework and childcare restrict women's time and freedom
(a) B1 development, e.g. limiting opportunities to be out of the home, where most recorded crime happens
(a) Answer: Domestic responsibilities such as housework and childcare restrict women's time and freedom, limiting their opportunities to be out of the home, where most recorded crime takes place.
(b) B1 identifies that fear of male violence can restrict where and when women feel able to go out
(b) B1 development, e.g. this limits opportunities for offending and for association with delinquent peer groups in public spaces
(b) Answer: Fear of male violence can restrict where and when women feel able to go out, limiting their opportunities for offending and for association with delinquent peer groups in public spaces.

Question 9

B1 identifies that women are more likely to be supervised by men in the workplace
B1 development, e.g. women may risk their job or reputation through offending at work
B1 further point, e.g. workplace supervision and expectations can reduce both the opportunity and the incentive to break rules
B1 correctly links this to Heidensohn's wider control theory as a third distinct setting alongside home and public space
Answer: Heidensohn argued women are more likely to be supervised by men at work and risk their job or reputation through offending, reducing both the opportunity and the incentive to break workplace rules.

Question 10

B1 identifies the 'gender deal' as the implicit patriarchal promise that conforming to a traditional female role, e.g. as wife and mother, will bring emotional and material rewards
B1 development, e.g. Carlen argued that when women feel this deal has failed them, for example through an unhappy or difficult home life, they have less reason to conform
B1 further point, e.g. this can make crime seem like a more reasonable option
B1 correctly distinguishes the gender deal from the class deal explained in Q5
Answer: Carlen's 'gender deal' is the implicit patriarchal promise that conforming to a traditional female role will bring emotional and material rewards; when women feel this deal has failed them, they have less reason to conform, making crime seem more reasonable.

Question 11

B1 identifies a recognised criticism, e.g. it was based on a small, unrepresentative sample of women who were already involved in crime
B1 brief development, e.g. so its findings may not generalise to women in general
Answer: Carlen's study was based on a small, unrepresentative sample of women who were already involved in crime, so its findings may not generalise to women in general.

Question 12

B1 identifies a recognised criticism, e.g. it may understate women's own choices and agency, treating female behaviour as mainly shaped by male control
B1 brief development
Answer: Critics argue control theory may understate women's own choices and agency, treating female behaviour as mainly shaped by male control rather than by women's own decisions.

Question 13

B1 B (class deal)
Answer: B

Feminist Explanations of Crime and Gender Patterns - Worksheets, Questions and Revision

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