Female delinquency in sociology and criminology - Essay Example

Female Delinquency in Sociology and Criminology Female delinquency has been increasing for the past few years. Some of the common crimes committed by females are larceny-theft or what we call “shoplifting”, liquor law violations (e.g. underage drinking) and runaways. There are many causes of female delinquency and crime. In Weiler’s “Girls and Violence”, she cited Adler’s findings that one cause of the increase in female violence is due to psychosocial reasons which is to their renunciation of femininity and the adoption of masculine characteristics and values (65).

The women's movement has caused assertiveness and was said to encourage young women to adopt certain "male behaviors" such as drinking, stealing, and fighting. The social and environmental risk factors also contributed to the increase in female delinquency. The study by Lind & Shelden in 1998, as cited by Weiler revealed that the interaction of social class, race, ethnicity, and culture cause young women to behave violently (65). The research showed that girls from low-income families seek recognition by adopting a "bad girl" image because of their disappointment of not being able to attain a college degree.

Furthermore, in a study by Artz, he showed that a girl’s poor school performance increases their risk of violence and delinquency, more than boys (66). In the same study, Art also found out that women jailed for crimes as compared with their male counterparts, usually are victims of previous sexual or physical abuse. In conclusion, although there is an increase in female delinquency over the past few years, one can still say that in general, girls are still less delinquent than boys because of their nurturing qualities.

It can be observed however, that social and environmental factors contribute a lot to female delinquency. It is to the advantage of society then, that first time female offenders should be given the proper guidance and support to prevent a continuous cycle of crime. Work Cited Weiler, Jeanne. “Girls and Violence”. Institute for Urban and Minority Education, Teachers College Digest. 143 (May 1999): 64-67. Web 16 June 2011.