NCJ Number
62628
Journal
Criminology Volume: 17 Issue: 3 Dated: (NOVEMBER 1979) Pages: 301-310
Date Published
1979
Length
10 pages
Annotation
THIS RESEARCH TESTS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT ATTITUDES ASSOCIATED WITH MALE STATUS OR MASCULINITY CONTRIBUTE TO CRIMINAL DELINQUENT INVOLVEMENT, AND THAT A MORE MASCULINE FEMALE WILL BE MORE LIKELY TO ENGAGE IN CRIME.
Abstract
DESPITE THE FREQUENCY WITH WHICH THIS MASCULINITY HYPOTHESIS APPEARS, IT HAS RECEIVED FEW EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENTS AND THOSE THAT DO EXIST ARE LIMITED. TYPICALLY, SUCH RESEARCH UTILIZES GROUP-LEVEL DATA TO MAKE INFERENCES ABOUT INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR. IN CONTRAST, THIS STUDY OF SELF-REPORTED INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR PRESENTS A PRELIMINARY BUT ADEQUATE EMPIRICAL TEST OF A COMPONENT OF THE MASCULINITY PROPOSITION. A NONRANDOM SAMPLE OF 182 SUBJECTS WHOSE MEAN AGE WAS 18.8 WAS DRAWN FROM STUDENTS ATTENDING A MIDWESTERN UNIVERSITY. INDIVIDUAL-LEVEL DATA WAS USED TO TEST THE MASCULINITY PROPOSITION. RESULTS SUPPORTED THE MASCULINITY HYPOTHESIS: INDEPENDENT OF GENDER, MALE TRAITS APPEARED TO CONTRIBUTE TO DELINQUENT INVOLVEMENT. MOREOVER, EVEN INDEPENDENT OF MALE TRAITS, MALES WERE STILL FOUND MORE LIKELY TO ENGAGE IN DELINQUENCY THAN FEMALES. THUS, WHILE TRADITIONAL MALE TRAITS DO LEAD TO INCREASED DELINQUENCY FOR BOTH SEXES, THE PERSISTENT EFFECT OF SEX ON DELINQUENCY SUGGESTS THAT OTHER UNMEASURED STRUCTURAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, OR PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH GENDER LEAD MEN TO ENGAGE IN MORE DELINQUENCY THAN DO WOMEN. NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE GIVEN. (MJW)