NCJ Number
179921
Journal
Criminology Volume: 37 Issue: 4 Dated: November 1999 Pages: 761-788
Date Published
1999
Length
28 pages
Annotation
A revised power-control theory of the relationship between gender and juvenile delinquency was tested with data collected in 1987 in Toronto, Canada, from 562 students in grades 9 through 12.
Abstract
Power-control theory draws attention to differences in familial control practices. The extension of the theory addressed how parental agency as expressed in control practices and support for dominant attitudes or schemas influence male delinquency as well as female delinquency. This extension emphasized that differences in structure, particularly between more and less patriarchal households, result in different family practices, especially for mothers and sons. This analysis divided the sample on the basis of family-power relations and used two variables that assessed parental agency in terms of maternal instrumental control and maternal relational control. The other independent variables measured participants' support for gender-based activities, risk preferences, and risk perceptions. Results of the analysis revealed that variation in mothers' agency within the home affected their son's support of conventional opinions and, in particular, their attitudes about the gendered nature of activities, risk preferences, and beliefs about impunity. This variation also affected their sons' involvement in delinquent activities. Findings indicated that the agency of mothers in less patriarchal families is an underappreciated source of reduced delinquency among sons. Tables, figure, footnotes, and 39 references (Author abstract modified)