Feminist Perspectives In Criminology
Feminism. This single word invokes a multitude of images –from a glitter-clad singer, to the bra burning FEMEN, to radical choices of a woman in a third world country. Arguably, in the last few years it has been one of the most discussed topics in mainstream media. Born out of the second wave of the Women’s Movement, feminist perspectives in criminology have matured considerably yet, like many concepts that are considered radical, continue to face hostile responses on every societal level, especially when it comes to policy implementations. (Chesney-Lind, 2006)
Feminist perspectives in criminology are a unique in a way most other criminological perspectives are not: 1.) they are not just hypothetical theories, but a social movement in and …show more content…
In an age that has trivialized what was once a radical social movement, bell hooks, in her book Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center argues that it is vital to come to find common ground on what women define feminism as if only to express that solidarity among women is possible. (hooks, 1984)
Social movements trigger other social movements –they learn tactics from each other, they bounce off of the success of one another. Feminism is no different. So, what is feminist criminology? Claire M. Renzetti defines it neatly:
Feminist criminology is a paradigm that studies and explains criminal offending and victimization as well as institutionalized responses to these problems as fundamentally gendered and which emphasizes the importance of using scientific knowledge we acquire from our study of these issues to influence the creation and implementation of public policy that will alleviate oppression and contribute to more equitable social relations and social structures.
FEMINISM, AN APPLICATION Contrary to popular misunderstanding, the focus on one gender does not exclude the other. In fact, the need to conceptualize women and girls experiences in both crime and victimization necessitates us to do the same for men and
Feminist perspectives in criminology are a unique in a way most other criminological perspectives are not: 1.) they are not just hypothetical theories, but a social movement in and …show more content…
In an age that has trivialized what was once a radical social movement, bell hooks, in her book Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center argues that it is vital to come to find common ground on what women define feminism as if only to express that solidarity among women is possible. (hooks, 1984)
Social movements trigger other social movements –they learn tactics from each other, they bounce off of the success of one another. Feminism is no different. So, what is feminist criminology? Claire M. Renzetti defines it neatly:
Feminist criminology is a paradigm that studies and explains criminal offending and victimization as well as institutionalized responses to these problems as fundamentally gendered and which emphasizes the importance of using scientific knowledge we acquire from our study of these issues to influence the creation and implementation of public policy that will alleviate oppression and contribute to more equitable social relations and social structures.
FEMINISM, AN APPLICATION Contrary to popular misunderstanding, the focus on one gender does not exclude the other. In fact, the need to conceptualize women and girls experiences in both crime and victimization necessitates us to do the same for men and