Crimes Against Women - Module 1 Exam Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated for Module 1 Exam Review in Crimes Against Women.

Social Construction of Gender

The overarching theoretical concept examining how societal expectations, roles, and cultural norms define gender, serving as the core theme across criminology, law, and work.

Patriarchy

A system of societal structure and male dominance relevant to understanding both the history of criminology and the development of legal systems.

Sex vs. Gender

The distinction between biological differences (sex) and socially constructed roles and expectations (gender), impacting criminological theory, legal treatment, and workforce dynamics.

Five Elements of Feminist Thought

The core principles that distinguish feminist perspectives from other social and political theories by placing women's experiences and gender inequality at the center of analysis.

Three Myths About Feminism

Common misconceptions regarding feminist theory and activism that distort its objectives, principles, and goals.

Five Strains of Feminist Theory

Distinct theoretical frameworks within feminism (e.g., liberal, radical, Marxist, socialist, postmodern) used to analyze gender inequality and criminality.

Classical Criminology Theory

A criminological perspective focused on free will, rational choice, and deterrence, which faces limitations when explaining female offending behavior.

Positivist Criminology Theory

A criminological perspective attributing crime to internal biological, psychological, or external social factors, historically pathologizing female criminal behavior.

Female Offending Dynamics

The overall frequency and nature of female crime, which generally exhibits lower rates and different offense patterns compared to male offending.

Dichotomy of Women

The societal division of women into binary categories (such as good vs. bad or madonna vs. whore) that shapes legal and social responses to women.

Four Forms of Law

The primary legal frameworks affecting women in society: common law, constitutional law, statutes, and administrative law.

The Law is Male

The concept that legal standards, doctrines, and institutional structures historically reflect male experiences, values, and power interests.

14th Amendment

Constitutional amendment guaranteeing equal protection and due process, providing a crucial legal basis for challenging gender-based discrimination.

Postpartum Syndrome

A medical and psychological condition following childbirth evaluated in specific legal contexts and defenses affecting women offenders.

Exchange-Value Work

Work performed outside the home that produces market goods or services and is compensated with monetary wages.

Use-Value Work

Unpaid domestic and caretaking work performed in the home for immediate family consumption and household sustenance.

Separate-Spheres Ideology

The belief system assigning men to the public sphere of paid work and politics, while restricting women to the private domestic sphere of the home.

True-Womanhood

A 19th-century cultural ideal defining a woman's virtue through domesticity, piety, purity, and submissiveness within the home.

Tokens in the Workplace

Individuals who represent a small numerical minority in an organization (such as women in male-dominated professions) and face heightened visibility, scrutiny, and stereotyping.

Women Adrift

A historical term describing self-supporting wage-earning women living independently without family or male protection during urbanization and industrial growth.

Glass-Ceiling

An unacknowledged, invisible barrier that prevents qualified women and minorities from advancing into higher-level managerial and executive roles.

Civil Rights Act

Federal legislation enacted to combat discrimination and protect civil rights across employment and public facilities.

Title VII (1964 Civil Rights Act)

The specific provision of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, and religion.

The Equal Pay Act (1967)

Federal legislation prohibiting sex-based wage discrimination for equal work performed under similar working conditions.

Title IX Educational Amendments (1972)

Federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in any educational institution or program receiving federal funding.

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (1978)

An amendment to Title VII prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.

Family Medical Leave Act (1993)

Federal law providing eligible employees with unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons.

Lilly Ledbetter Act (2009)

Federal law resetting the 180-day statute of limitations for filing pay discrimination lawsuits with each discriminatory paycheck received.

Discrimination according to Title VII

Employment practices or decisions that unfairly treat individuals based on protected traits including sex, race, color, religion, or national origin.

Discrimination according to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

Systemic and institutional mechanisms that produce unequal outcomes for protected groups, beyond individual intentional bias.

Two Forms of Sexual Harassment

The two legal categories of workplace sexual harassment: quid pro quo (demanding sexual favors for job benefits) and hostile work environment.

Preventing Sexual Harassment in Crime Processing Positions

Four primary organizational methods and policy strategies implemented to prevent and address sexual harassment in typical male crime processing positions.