Feminist Criminology & Intersectionality

What is intersectionality (Kimberlé Crenshaw)?

The idea that race, gender, class, and other identities overlap to shape unique experiences of oppression.

Why did Kimberlé Crenshaw develop intersectionality?

To show that single-category explanations (only race or only gender) miss how oppression actually works.

What is a key limitation of “single-axis” thinking?

or Single perspective

It ignores how multiple identities combine to create different experiences of inequality.

What is feminist criminology?

A perspective that studies how gender inequality and power shape crime, victimization, and punishment.

What does feminist criminology argue about traditional criminology?

That it is male-centered and often ignores women’s experiences.

What is “structural dynamic discrimination”?

Overlapping systems of inequality that place women of color at higher risk of punishment and harm.

What does “social control beyond prisons” mean?

Control happens through policing, welfare systems, housing, and family courts—not just incarceration.

What is “overpoliced and underprotected”?

Women of color are heavily policed but receive less protection when they are victims.

What does “hidden in plain sight” refer to?

Women of color are often excluded from discussions about crime and incarceration.

Why are women of color often overlooked in criminology?

Research historically focused on men, especially Black men, as the “default” offenders.

How does intersectionality explain women’s incarceration?

Women’s experiences in the justice system are shaped by combined effects of race, gender, and class.

What role does poverty play in women’s incarceration?

Poverty increases exposure to punishment, survival crimes, and system involvement.

What is the “criminalization of social issues”?

Treating poverty, addiction, and abuse as criminal problems instead of social ones.

What is Black feminist theory?

A framework that centers Black women’s lived experiences and overlapping identities.

What does Black feminist theory argue about identity?

Black women experience multiple, interwoven identities that cannot be separated

What is the “strong Black woman” stereotype?

A social identity that pressures Black women to endure hardship without support.

How are women of color treated in domestic violence cases?

They are more likely to be criminalized or disbelieved instead of supported.

What is “victimization and criminalization overlap”?

Women can be both victims of violence and treated as criminals by the system.

What is the “welfare queen” stereotype?

A racialized stereotype portraying Black women as abusing welfare systems.

What did Beth E. Richie argue?

(Women’s victimization and criminalization)

Black women victims are often treated as criminals instead of survivors.

What did Angela Davis contribute?

She introduced the idea of the prison-industrial complex and critiques mass incarceration.

What is the prison-industrial complex (Angela Davis)?

A system where prisons, corporations, and the state benefit from incarceration

• mass incarceration is driven not just by crime, but by political and economic interests.

What issues do immigrant women face in criminology?

Higher vulnerability to domestic violence and fear of deportation if they report abuse.

What is noted about Indigenous women in the system?

They experience extremely high rates of incarceration and violence.

What does Andrea Smith argue about Indigenous women?

Sexual violence has been used as a tool of colonialism and patriarchy.

What is “hypermasculinity” in criminology?

A survival-based identity shaped by policing and criminalization of boys/men of color

What is “structural vulnerability”?

Systems of inequality that increase exposure to harm and punishment.

What is the main critique of traditional criminology?

It ignores gender, race, and class intersections and focuses too narrowly on male crime.

Why is intersectionality important in understanding crime?

It shows how multiple identities shape unequal treatment in the justice system.

How does feminist criminology redefine “crime”?

It expands crime to include state violence, not just individual acts.

How does the justice system control women beyond prisons?

Through welfare policies, policing, courts, and surveillance systems.

Why are women of color at the “bottom of the social hierarchy”?

Because race, gender, and class discrimination compound their disadvantage.