Gender and Crime

Why are mass shootings mostly conducted by young men? Why are victims of rape questioned about their clothing and behaviour, and why are conviction rates for sexual assault so low? Why do men commit more crime than women, and why is this gap shrinking? How is family violence gendered? Why are we fascinated by female serial killers or suicide bombers? Why are so many young Aboriginal men in prison and why is so little being done about this? Why is there so much debate about whether abortion or sex work should be criminalised? What forms of sexual relationships or behaviours have been defined as criminal? This course draws from concepts in gender studies and masculinities studies, feminist thought and queer theory, to undertake a critical, interdisciplinary approach to gender, sexuality and race in law, crime, and the criminal justice system. We begin by exploring the ways gender and crime are socially constructed, and move on to explore contemporary case studies and debates, looking at the varied ways in which our social expectations about gender and our social definitions of crime interact to create gendered versions of criminal activities, and gendered responses to those activities. Considering both social realities and cultural representations of crime (eg: TV shows), we will explore the relationships between different kinds of masculinities (as a tool for understanding men and criminal behaviour), femininities, and crime. This will include studying the ways in which racialised identities, sexualities, and social class intersect with gender to produce different forms of crime, often with differing outcomes and far-reaching impacts on people's lives.