Gender Differences in Criminal Intent: Examining the Mediating Influence of Anticipated Shaming

Abstract

Research finds males to have a higher likelihood of offending than females. Dominant explanations of the gender/crime relationship tend to invoke strain, learning, and control theories, but we propose that part of the relationship is attributable to differences in anticipated shaming. We test this argument using data collected from a sample of 439 young adults. Results of both Tobit regressions and path analyses support our hypothesis, suggesting that anticipated shaming may actually mediate more of the gender/crime relationship than do variables derived from alternative perspectives. Implications for understanding and controlling crime are discussed.

Notes

¹ The actor’s name was randomly assigned as John in some surveys and Jennifer in others but, for simplicity, we will refer to the actor as “John.”

² Randomization consisted of stacking questionnaires in sets of three such that the same condition was not handed out to two students seated next to one another. In this way, students seated in certain parts of a given classroom were not all given the same version of the survey. A randomization check found that survey condition was not significantly related to gender or to our other variables. In addition, respondents in all three conditions were asked to report how likely they believed it to be that the scenario described could take place in real life. It came as no surprise that the majority of respondents indicated the scenario to be realistic since respondents are likely to have worked at such low wage jobs at some point in their lives.

³ Strain is not included in Figure 1 because we randomly assigned our strain conditions, thus rendering them statistically equal across gender. Given extensive literature suggesting that females experience at least as much strain as males (see Broidy and Agnew 1997), the present analysis examines whether females are more vulnerable to the same amount of strain (see gender × strain interaction term in Table 2).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cesar J. Rebellon

CESAR J. REBELLON is an Associate Professor in the Sociology Department at the University of New Hampshire. His research examines family and peer influences on juvenile crime and delinquency and his recent work appears in Criminology, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Journal of Family Violence, and Justice Quarterly.

Desiree Wiesen-Martin

DESIREE WIESEN-MARTIN is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. Her primary research interests include violence against women, victimization, gender and crime/delinquency, and adolescents’ relationships with siblings.

Nicole Leeper Piquero

NICOLE LEEPER PIQUERO is a Professor of Criminology and Associate Dean for Graduate Programs in the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas. Her research focus includes the study of white-collar and corporate crimes, criminological theory, as well as gender and crime.

Alex R. Piquero

ALEX R. PIQUERO is Ashbel Smith Professor of Criminology at the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas, Adjunct Professor at the Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice, and Governance, Griffith University Australia, and Faculty Affiliate, Center for Violence and Injury Prevention George Warren Brown School of Social Work Washington University in St. Louis. From 2008–2013, he was also the Co-Editor of the Journal of Quantitative Criminology. He is Fellow of both the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.

Stephen G. Tibbetts

STEPHEN G. TIBBETTS is a Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice of California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). His research interests primarily focus on testing the empirical validity of various criminological theories, with an emphasis on biosocial and developmental factors. He has published over 60 scholarly works, including 8 books that focus on the causes of offending and victimization. He received the annual campus-wide Outstanding Professor Award at CSUSB in 2011.