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Examine some of the factors that may contribute to women becoming victims of crime (12 marks)

Women are victims of crimes for a number of different reasons. One of the main reasons why this is likely to occur is because women are seen as weak in the eyes of society. This relates to Heidensohn’s control theory. Her theory was that women are often controlled by the men they’re with, and they are often conformed to the social norms through male domination (husband father etc). This is supported by the 2013 official statistics in which 45% of rapes which occur to women are done by their current partners, and 25% of the serious violence which occurs against them occurs in their own homes.

Another factor may contribute to women becoming victims of crimes is that they are biologically weaker than men. Men have the hormone testosterone which makes them stronger and more dominant, which also means that they have a duty to masculinity and to sexual desire when it comes to raping women. As women are weaker they are unable to fight off the man, which often leads to long term exploitation and sexual/domestic abuse.

Women are also victims of crimes when it comes to being an accomplice. Many of the most horrific crimes that have occurred within history have been male led, however, women are forced into being criminal and deviant which leads to them becoming a victim. An example of this is Myra Hindley, the Moors murderer who worked alongside Ian Brady. She was initially non-criminal however she was submissive to the dominant Brady which in turn she became criminal, and received numerous years in jail before she died.

Examine some of the reasons why females may be less likely than males to commit crimes (12 marks)

Women are less likely to commit crimes for a number of different reasons. Firstly, the socialisation which occurs in women’s lives is very different from that of men’s. According to Sutherland, socialisation for girls is strictly controlled and they are...