Sex differences in crime

"Sex and crime" redirects here. For laws which criminalize sexual acts, see Sex crime.
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Sex differences in crime are differences between men and women as the perpetrators or victims of crime. Such studies may belong to fields such as criminology (the scientific study of criminal behavior), sociobiology (which attempts to demonstrate a causal relationship between biological factors, in this case biological sex and human behaviors), or feminist studies. Despite the difficulty of interpreting them, crime statistics may provide a way to investigate such a relationship from a gender differences perspective. An observable difference in crime rates between men and women might be due to social and cultural factors, crimes going unreported, or to biological factors (for example, testosterone or sociobiological theories). The nature or motive of the crime itself may also require consideration as a factor. Gendered profiling might affect the reported crime rates.[1]

Statistics have been consistent in reporting that men commit more criminal acts than women.[2][3] Self-reported delinquent acts are also higher for men than for women, although lower than official data.[4][5] Low levels of self control are associated with criminal activity.[6][7] Many professionals have offered explanations for this sex difference. Some differing explanations include men's evolutionary tendency toward risk and violent behavior, sex differences in activity, social support, or gender inequality.

  1. ^ "Beyond Driving While Black and Flying While Brown: Using Intersectionality to Uncover the Gendered Aspects of Racial Profiling". Colum. J. Gender & L. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  2. ^ Eamonn Carrabine; Paul Iganski; Maggy Lee (2004). Criminology: A Sociological Introduction. Psychology Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0415281676. Retrieved August 7, 2016. Statistics repeatedly show that many more men than women commit crimes. Indeed, as Richard Collier notes, 'most crimes would remain unimaginable without the presence of men (Collier, 1998; see also Jefferson, 2002).
  3. ^ Jeffery T. Walker; Sean Maddan (2013). Understanding Statistics for the Social Sciences, Criminal Justice, and Criminology. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 99. ISBN 978-1449634032. Retrieved August 7, 2016. [...] it is well supported in research that more men than women commit crimes.
  4. ^ Burfeind, James; Jeglum Bartusch, Dawn (2010). Juvenile Delinquency: an Integrated Approach. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-44-963614-2.
  5. ^ Bachman, Ronet D.; Paternoster, Raymond; Wilson, Theodore H. (2021). Statistics for Criminology and Criminal Justice. SAGE Publications. p. 305. ISBN 978-1-54-437569-4.
  6. ^ Markowitsch, Hans J. (2020). Neuroscience and Crime: A Special Issue of Neurocase. Psychology Press. p. 161. ISBN 978-1-00-014991-3.
  7. ^ Tibbetts, Stephen G.; Piquero, Alex R. (2022). Criminological Theory: The Essentials. SAGE Publications. p. 195. ISBN 978-1-07-183821-1.