Politics November 6, 2016
When you hear a news reporter mentioning a violent crime, who do you imagine – man or woman – as the perpetrator? Although sex doesn’t determine one’s criminal record, statistically speaking, men commit more acts of violence than women. In fact, men are responsible for 98 percent of mass shootings and women only commit 10 percent of all the murders that occur in the United States. So why does an XY chromosome seen to come with a greater tendency for violence? Here are all the facts, stats and figures you should know.
Now, don’t assume that because fewer women commit violent crimes, women don’t commit any crimes at all. (Yes, female villains like Cruella de Vil, Ursula and Cinderella’s evil stepmother do exist in real life.) While men are more likely to be connected to crimes like murder, rape and burglary, women outnumber men when it comes to prostitution and are as likely as men to be arrested for crimes like embezzlement and fraud.
Even when women do act violently, differences appear between their respective crimes. Men prefer to use murder weapons like guns (using them in two thirds of American murders between 1999 and 2012), followed by knives and beatings. Women still use guns the most – at around 50 percent – followed by other means like knives and beatings. Because women commit fewer murders than men, however, they end up using every other weapon besides guns more than their male counterparts.
The stereotype of a woman slowly poisoning her soulmate-turned-abuser isn’t the most accurate picture of female criminals. If you need another fact to smash female stereotypes, here it is: While women only commit 10 percent of murders in America, they commit 17 percent of serial homicides. The next time you’re fighting over that Prada purse during Black Friday, you might want to think twice.
Have you ever played, “Would You Rather?” Maybe you were asked questions like: Would you rather break the law for money or to help someone you love? While research hasn’t reached a solid conclusion, it does suggest that men and women often have different motives when it comes to their crimes. In particular, women seem to be more likely to kill after experiencing an argument (those “NCIS” and “CSI” episodes you’re addicted to might be pretty accurate after all), be less motivated by profit and be twice as likely to kill someone she has previously interacted with. (In case you’re ever on “Jeopardy,” this is called a “victim-precipitated homicide.” You can thank ENTITY during your post-win speech.)
So what’s the true image of a “murderess” that you should have in your mind? Rather than money or power, Dr. Oz reports that women often kill because of emotion. Their crimes are usually unplanned and result in a desperate need to defend themselves against real threats or as a result of abuse.
We’ve learned that women often commit petty “white collar” crimes over murder … and when they do murder, they’re often driven by emotion. But why – at the root of all of these statistics – do men commit more violent crimes than women?
To put it simply, science still doesn’t know. However, there are plenty of interesting theories to consider.
Now, when you watched “The Flintstones” as a kid, you probably weren’t thinking about evolution and gender roles. However, both topics could explain why more men tend to pull the trigger. Just think of it as a math equation: Women like men with power and status + men want women to like them = men will kill others in order to gain or maintain power and status. This is why Evolutionary Psychologists Martin Daly and Margo Wilson frame homicides as the result of men’s unconscious desire to defend their status and attract women. (The term “dangerous chemistry” has never been so accurate.)
Crime rates may also be affected by the fact that girls and boys are socialized differently. Did you get an earlier curfew than your brother or have to report where you went after school while he got free reign? Were you ever told to play “more aggressive” during a basketball game? If raised on typical gender roles, probably not. While that may have made your childhood less exciting, it could’ve also decreased your chances of becoming a delinquent. Maybe your parent’s strict curfew rules weren’t so crazy after all …
In addition, conformity is the word for women. Have you ever felt pressured to act or look a current way? That isn’t unusual; feeling like you need to fit the “right” mold of femininity could make you less inclined to break the law. Not only that, but women – who often lack men’s financial and physical power – also experience greater backlash for breaking social norms.
Finally, another factor affecting crime is that men often need to “prove” their masculinity. Those who don’t have access to higher education to prove their success might turn to gang violence or vandalism. Middle class males, on the other hand, might show that they are a true breadwinner willing to take aggressive risks by engaging in white collar or corporate crime.
The bottom line? While scientists haven’t found a bulls eye explanation for the gender disparity in violent crimes, plenty of darts are being thrown at the board.
Perhaps one of the most important conclusions from all of these stats and facts is that, when it comes to crime rates among men and women, stereotypes are dangerous. Not only do they suggest false pictures – for instance, that women prefer poison over any other weapon – but they can also trigger the violence itself.
So what’s a woman to do? As the Good Men Project explains, the best next step might be putting all of these theories together – socialization, evolution, video games and stereotypes – and understanding how these factors work together to lead men (and a few women) “down a violent path.”
We know that men primarily do the dirty work. Now, we need to figure out how to prevent the messes in the first place.
