World War II and Its Effect on the Sex Differential in Arrests

An Empirical Test of the Sex-Role Equality and Crime Proposition

Bibliographic Data

ID2276137
AuthorsDarrell Steffensmeier (0000-0001-5642-0846, Pennsylvania State University), Darrell J Steffensmeier (Pennsylvania State University), Alvin S Rosenthal (0009-0001-2223-2975, Pennsylvania State University), Constance L Shehan (Pennsylvania State University), Constance Shehan (Pennsylvania State University)
Year1980
Volume21
Issue3
Pages403-416
Publication date1980-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0038-0253 • E-ISSN: 1533-8525
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1533-8525.1980.tb00621.x
OpenAlexW2114572420
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited16

A common explanation for the decrease in the sex differential in arrests during World War II attributes it to a change in female sex-role behavior. Because of the wartime equalization of sex roles, particularly of expanding occupational roles of women, female arrest rates began to approach male rates. Two alternative explanations appear equally plausible: (1) changes in the sex-age structure of the population at risk and (2) changes in official reactions to female “sex offenders” over the prewar to wartime period, as reflected in the differentiation in types of crimes for which males and females were arrested during World War II. The analysis examines these two alternative explanations, and finds that: (a) by simply correcting for the sex-age structure of the population, the narrowing of the sex differential is reduced considerably; and (b) by taking into account type of crime, and specifically by omitting offense categories that reflect the paternalism and double standard of sexual morality in society, the narrowing of the sex differential disappears. Finally, the predicted special effects of World War II on female arrests for property crimes did not materialize

Biology · Criminology · Differential (mechanical device) · Morality · Paternalism · Political science · Population · Proposition · Sociology · Test (biology) · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Demography · Law · Psychology · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub