The Relationship Between Crime and Gender
The relationship that exists between crime and gender is one considered as being persistent, deep as well as paradoxical. By looking at statistics of any criminal justice system gender stands as one of the most significant attributes that have an integral role in victimization (Goldblum et al., 2012). The assertion is supported by the assertion that men and women for a long time have been known to differ when it comes to the assessment of rates of offenses as well as patterns in their victimization experiences (Goldblum et al., 2012). The paper looks at the issue of gender and victimization as it occurs, seeing to relate it to the Australian context. The writer develops assessment of how people of different gender in Australian are fall victim to different types of crimes based on their gender. Through the consideration of gender, it is evident that one can predict the nature of crimes or victimization is an incident that is related to the two genders.
Effect of Gender on Victimization Experiences
The gender variances between men and women are evaluated in the context of the relationships prevalent among the four forms of victimization. These types of victimization include sexual assault, stalking and family violence as well as intimate partner violence (Boza & Nicholson Perry, 2014). The incidences of gender-related victimization are disproportionately concentrated among the women and girls, with the most common types being trafficking for sexual exploitation, sexual assault, genital mutilation as well as incent and intimate partner violence (Boza & Nicholson Perry, 2014). These concentration results are because girls and women are victimized owing to their gender (Mathieson et al., 2011). Because of the process that results in hate crime victimization of individuals who are gay, bisexuals or lesbians, it further draws a parallel for the gender-related victimization.
Gender Patterns and Types of Victimization
On the issue of gender and patterns of victimization, it is evident that victimization is a salient risk factor in female crimes, with violent victimization being considered as the initial step in the pathway of females to crime and delinquency (Carbone-Lopez, Esbensen & Brick, 2010). The assertion is supported by the fact that women and girls are often victimized at high rates and more likely to experience sexual assault, physical abuse that is perpetrated within their homes at the hands of their friends, family members, and intimate partners (Fox, Nobles & Piquero, 2009). These victimization experiences have additionally been found to be more common among girls than boys since females tend to spend more time at home in addition to the fact they have been socialized to promote family relationships (Wolff, Shi & Siegel, 2009). Female's victimization has been closely associated with later offending as is evident among incarcerated female offenders whereby lifetime of victimization is significantly higher among the female offenders compared to the general population of the same offender and more than that of the incarcerated males (Wolff, Shi & Siegel, 2009). This has been supported by the assertion that early traumatic experiences could lead to females engaging in survival strategies that led to illegal activities as shoplifting (Wolff, Shi & Siegel, 2009).
Consideration of Gendered Victimization
Gendered victimization has been considered to be an issue that predominantly affects the female population. In this case, the gender variations on psychological reactions to victimization have been associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, the prevailing assertion being that women are more psychologically vulnerable to victimization than men (Zaykowski & Gunter, 2013). Additionally, while males are more likely to be victims of crime than their female counterparts, females exhibit greater fear of crime than men. It, however, follows that females ate at an elevated risk of victimization of an assortment of interpersonal crimes as sexual assault, stalking and intimate partner violence (Carbone-Lopez, Esbensen & Brick, 2010).
Victim Gendered Issues in the Australian Context
In the Australian context, there is an assortment of victim gendered issues that characterize the environment. One of these issues is domestic violence which has been argued as a direct consequence of gender inequality (Gilmore, 2016). The prevailing assertion is that there is the need to dispel the stereotype that perpetrators of domestic violence are men and that victims are women considering the increasing number of male domestic violence victims (McPhedran & Eriksson, 2017). The issue of murders is the other than has become gendered with indications being that in Australia, men are being killed at a higher rate than their female counterparts. Further, between 2014 and 2014, females were five to six times more likely to be victims of sexual violence their males (Australia Bureau of statistics, 2016). Males, on the other hand, are three times more likely to be victims of robbery than females (Australia Bureau of statistics, 2016).
References
Australia Bureau of statistics (2016). 4125.0 - Gender Indicators, SAFETY, AND JUSTICE. Accessed via http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/4125.0~Feb%202016~Main%20Features~Safety%20and%20Justice~4411
on June 15, 2018
Boza, C., & Nicholson Perry, K. (2014). Gender-related victimization, perceived social support, and predictors of depression among transgender Australians. International Journal of Transgenderism, 15(1), 35-52.
Carbone-Lopez, K., Esbensen, F. A., & Brick, B. T. (2010). Correlates and consequences of peer victimization: Gender differences in direct and indirect forms of bullying. Youth violence and juvenile justice, 8(4), 332-350.
Gilmore, J. (2016). The irrefutable facts of domestic violence in Australia accessed via https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/the-irrefutable-facts-of-domestic-violence-in-australia/news-story/5d536871fb5be5d8e91c076c148bd787
on June 15, 2018
Fox, K. A., Nobles, M. R., & Piquero, A. R. (2009). Gender, crime victimization, and fear of crime. Security Journal, 22(1), 24-39.
Goldblum, P., Testa, R. J., Pflum, S., Hendricks, M. L., Bradford, J., & Bongar, B. (2012). The relationship between gender-based victimization and suicide attempts in transgender people. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 43(5), 468.
Mathieson, L. C., Murray-Close, D., Crick, N. R., Woods, K. E., Zimmer-Gembeck, M., Geiger, T. C., & Morales, J. R. (2011). Hostile intent attributions and relational aggression: The moderating roles of emotional sensitivity, gender, and victimization. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 39(7), 977.
McPhedran, S. & Eriksson, L. (2017). Men are killed at a greater rate than women in Australia – what can we do to reduce their risk? Accessed via https://theconversation.com/men-are-killed-at-a-greater-rate-than-women-in-australia-what-can-we-do-to-reduce-their-risk-78251
on June 15, 2018
Wolff, N., Shi, J., & Siegel, J. A. (2009). Patterns of victimization among male and female inmates: Evidence of an enduring legacy. Violence and victims, 24(4), 469.
Zaykowski, H., & Gunter, W. D. (2013). Gender differences in victimization risk: Exploring the role of deviant lifestyles. Violence and victims, 28(2), 341-356.
