NCJ Number
207436
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 44 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2004 Pages: 659-676
Editor(s)
Geoffrey Pearson
Date Published
September 2004
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This paper focuses on youth capitalization (youth development) as it relates to gender differences in the delinquency of siblings.
Abstract
Youth development is a capitalization process which begins with the inheritance of birth and unfolds through the acquisition and accumulation of resources in childhood, during adolescence, and on to adulthood. The resources include human, social, and cultural forms of capital. By focusing on youth capitalization, this paper examines youth capitalization’s relationship to gender differences in the delinquency of siblings. The power control theory of delinquency is explored offering an explanation of gender differences in delinquency. The premise of power-control theory is that more patriarchal families are structured around the greater power of fathers that derives from their advantaged positions in the workplace. These patriarchal families grant sons greater freedom from parental control which allows them to be freer to engage in forms of delinquency. The capitalization occurring in these families advances the domination of males in delinquency with females disenfranchised. Yet, as women join the labor force and gain power relative to men, the gender differences in parental control may also have changed. The implication of the revised power-control theory is that, over time, as the structure of work has become more balanced in terms of gender, parenting practices have become decoupled from the occupational power structure. There is overall confirmation that gender differences in parental control of adolescents are a source of gender differences in delinquency, both directly and indirectly, through acceptance of traditional gender schemas and attitudes of hierarchic self-interest. Tables, references