University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Women, sexuality, and social control: A study in deviance

McCammon, Lucy Wetzel

This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/22529

Description

Title
Women, sexuality, and social control: A study in deviance
Author(s)
McCammon, Lucy Wetzel
Issue Date
1996
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Britt, Chester L., III
Department of Study
Sociology
Discipline
Sociology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • Women's Studies
  • Sociology, Criminology and Penology
Language
eng
Abstract
  • The perception of lesbian women as more criminal than heterosexual women can be seen in many facets of our culture over time. This study examines that perception as it appears in the media, government, politics, religion, entertainment, education and more. The assumption is also reviewed as it appears in sociological literature. Original data are used to examine this assumption. The data are also used in an analysis of two major sociological theories of crime; Social Bond theory (Hirschi 1969) and Self-Control Theory (Gottfredson and Hirschi 1990). Examination of these theories as they apply to women is the second main component to the study. All-female data provides a new perspective from which to evaluate the major traditions of deviance theory.
  • The method of this study is an anonymous mail survey. This study utilizes a non-probability sample, with an over sample of lesbian and bisexual women. Response was solicited through snowball sampling and distribution to organizations. Due to the use of non-probability sampling, the sample is not necessarily representative of the population. However, this sampling method is the best alternative. Since a large number of lesbian and bisexual respondents was needed for statistical comparison, the advantage of random sampling had to be forfeited.
  • To date, there has been no such study, despite the important role it can play in understanding women's lives and illuminating some of the possible misconceptions that have been surrounding women for hundreds of years. The study of crime is not just the study of illegal behavior, but an angle through which to understand social control, discrimination, aggressive responses to oppression, as well as the victimization of women. Discovering the true correlates of crime for women helps to reveal differences and similarities between men and women as criminals, and illuminates ways in which assumptions are made, and prejudices are used against women.
  • "Results suggest self-control, the ""belief"" component of the social bond, and peer crime are important factors in female crime and deviance. Sexuality contributes significantly to variance in analogous behaviors, but not in crime behaviors. The models explained significant amounts of variance."
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/22529
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 1996 McCammon, Lucy Wetzel

Owning Collections

Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois
Dissertations and Theses - Sociology