Classic Strain Theory and Gender: The Case of Turkey

• NCJ Number: 215959
• Journal: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 50 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2006 Pages: 21-38
• Author(s): Ozden Ozbay; Yusuf Ziya Ozcan
• Date Published: February 2006
• Length: 18 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined whether there were gender differences in assault, school delinquency, and public-disturbance behaviors among high-school youth in Ankara, Turkey, using an analysis based on the strain theory of delinquency, whose main thesis is that the disconnect between goals and means among lower class youth leads to delinquent behaviors.

Abstract

Contrary to most research findings in Western studies, this study found that lower class males and females were less likely to commit delinquent behaviors than youth in higher socioeconomic classes. This finding confirms the argument that traditional theories of juvenile delinquency, which are typically based on male youth samples, are generalizable to female delinquency. For males, none of the strain and class variables were consistently significant. The gap between educational aspiration and educational expectation, the gap between monetary aspiration and educational expectation, a low social-class district, an unemployed parent, and many of the parental education variables were not important class or strain variables. For females, the gap between educational aspiration and education expectation, middle social-class district, State high school, an unemployed father, and all of the parental education variables were not important class or strain variables. The study involved a 2-stage stratified cluster sample of 1,710 male and female high school students from the central district of Ankara in 2001. At the fist stage of sampling, the districts were stratified according to their socioeconomic levels: low, middle, and high. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on behaviors linked to assault, school delinquency, and public disturbance. Strain variables such as the gap between educational aspiration and educational expectation, the gap between monetary aspiration and education expectation, and the perception of limited opportunity were used as independent variables. 1 table and 52 references