Gender and Societal Norms Free Essay Example, 1500 words

Socialization and moral development are features that vary between the female and male gender, thus, they can influence the development of these individuals into criminals. In diverse societies, there is the teaching of young girls to emulate the good morals of their parents. This predisposes them to an ethic of care (Qureshi, 2014). Thus, this kind of ethic bars women from engaging in violent acts and other related behaviors that can harm others. Society teaches girls at the tender age to be afraid of separating or losing their loved ones. Such apprehensions deter females from involving in criminal activities. On the contrary, society teaches young men to be status-seeking, which compels them to have a varied view of the world in which autonomy is crucial. Socialization of young men emphasizes independence, separation, and autonomy as well as much goal-oriented and assertive than girls. Thus, this increases the chances of men behaving violently. Social control, gender norms and o ther related factors discourage and prevent women from any access to criminal opportunities. For instance, there is less chance of employing women in particular jobs that can offer opportunities for them to engage in criminal activities such as theft and drug dealing (Lemelle, 2013). We will write a custom essay sample on Gender and Societal Norms or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Examples of such jobs include carpentry and truck driving. It is noteworthy that certain jobs offer women the chance to engage in petty offenses. For instance, attempts to make a commission on sales can render a female employ into prison. A considerable disparity in crimes originates from the variation in the risk-taking styles and motivation of women and men. Women usually take profound risks to maintain treasured relationships, while men take risks based on competitive advantage or status (Dodge et al. , 2013). For instance, women may engage in crimes that involve embezzlement of funds on account that they want to protect their relationships or families financially. On the contrary, men can engage in crimes constituting embezzlement on grounds that they want to protect their financial and social status.