Female Criminality in India

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Psychological Viewpoint

Freudian hypotheses hold that women who are not passive and content with their traditional roles as mothers and wives are maladjusted. Women who accept traditional roles as mothers and wives are “adjusted ones” and are different from the maladjusted women, who refuse or fail to internalize the values associated with the role in the society. He also said that women who do not internalize the traditional roles and values of the society, attend institutions for higher learning, take up professions outside the four walls of their homes, join feminist movements or commit crimes. He maintained that all females experience some degree of jealousy of males but ‘normal’ women manage to accept and internalize societal definitions of femininity, centred around single minded interest in motherhood.

The limitations of an attempt to explain crime strictly in psychological terms are partly conceptual which fail to appreciate the significance of social factors in generating the deviant behaviour. 

Sociological Viewpoint

A plethora of writings on sociological viewpoint emerged during the last few decades including the following:

1. Equality theory

2. Economic theory

3. Opportunity theory

4. Social disorganisation theory

5. Role theory

Predominant theories such as Thomas (1907) and later, Pollack (1961), believed that criminality was socially induced rather than biologically inherited. Pollack (1961) believed, it is the learned behaviour from a very young age that leads girls into a masked character of female criminality, that is, how it was and still is concealed through under-reporting and low detection rates of female offenders. He further states, in our male-dominated culture, women have always been considered strange, secretive and sometimes dangerous. A greater leniency towards women by police and the justice system needs to be addressed especially if a true equality of genders is to be achieved in such a complicated world.

 These contemporary theorists reject earlier theories based on psychological and physiological viewpoints. Criminal behaviour, as Sutherland and Cressy insisted, is learned through interaction with other persons. The learning includes both techniques for committing the crime and a more subjective element- the specific direction of motives, derives, rationalisations and attitudes. Role theorists like Heidensohn and Hoffman offer explanation of female criminality in terms of social differentiation of gender roles. Hoffman emphasised that different socialisation given to girls expect them to be non- violent and do not allow them to learn how to fight and use weapons. It prevents the women to acquire necessary technical ability or strength for crime.

 ‘Double burden’ of work and household responsibilities, official indifference to the needs of women, the increasing rate of family breakdown, the alcoholisms of husbands, the psychological trauma of divorce and financial difficulties in rearing up ‘left with children’- all contribute to incidents of female criminality.

Unfortunately, these role theorists have desperately failed to propound any concrete idea about the etiology of crime.

 Psychological Viewpoint

Freudian hypotheses hold that women who are not passive and content with their traditional roles as mothers and wives are maladjusted. Women who accept traditional roles as mothers and wives are “adjusted ones” and are different from the maladjusted women, who refuse or fail to internalize the values associated with the role in the society. He also said that women who do not internalize the traditional roles and values of the society, attend institutions for higher learning, take up professions outside the four walls of their homes, join feminist movements or commit crimes. He maintained that all females experience some degree of jealousy of males but ‘normal’ women manage to accept and internalize societal definitions of femininity, centred around single minded interest in motherhood. The limitations of an attempt to explain crime strictly in psychological terms are partly conceptual which fail to appreciate the significance of social factors in generating the deviant behaviour.

Sanyal also observed that women convict\s displayed emotional stability, insecurity, rejection or frustration in childhood. They encountered harsh living conditions, disappointments in love and a large number of unfortunate experiences which generally made it difficult for them to face realities of life.

 Feminist