Describe how theories of female offending have changed over time (i.e., from historical to traditional to modern).

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Though, Lombroso and Ferrero were not only historical female offender theorists, it is evident that the early theories of female criminality placed a reliance on stereotypes about the female offender as manipulative, cunning, and masculine; all identities that limited the analysis to a narrow perception of the world. The traditional theories, on the other hand, focused more on male criminality and excluded women from their research (Hirschi, Sutherland, Silverman and Caldwell, Agnew, etc.). Later research, on the other hand, has investigated if and how these traditional theories of crime can understand female offending. The conclusions are mixed; some can make contributions to female crime, others are more suited to male criminality. The modern theories (Adler & Simon, Hagan, Laub, etc.) have made signification improvements in understanding the relationship between gender and crime. However, there is still an increased need for more scholarship/discussion about women and crime.