Significance

How are gender theories universal and insightful?

There is no one feminist perspective: there exist key commonalities, tensions and contradictions.

How do gender studies provide insight into why crime is commited?

According to gender theories, gender is a social construct, with crime being an enactment of masculinity and/or femininity.

What is the influence of gender theories/feminist criminology?

Feminist criminology is one of the most influential criminological perspectives in terms of criminal justice system reform.

○ E.g. Online Harms Bill is a recent example that targets image based sexual abuse.

What is significant about gender theories’ methodology?

Gender theories and feminist criminology have produced a distinct methodology that questions ‘how we know what we know’ about the lives of women, men, and gender diverse people.

○ Popularised qualitative research methods that are now widely used in social sciences.

Which field has feminist criminology had the most influence on?

Feminist criminology has been particularly influential in the field of victimology, but struggles to balance victimhood with agency.