NCJ Number
82963
Journal
Corrective and Social Psychiatry and Journal of Behavior Technology Methods and Therapy Volume: 28 Issue: 1 Dated: (1982) Pages: 14-22
Date Published
1982
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Self-reports of crime among a sample of women are used to assess the relationship between liberal sex role attitudes and female criminal behavior.
Abstract
A total of 270 women students enrolled at the School of Social Sciences of a regional university in Eastern Kentucky were selected for the study and anonymously administered questionnaires. A scale was established by factor analysis to measure liberal sex role attitudes, and normlessness and lawlessness were used to measure the degree of anomy of respondents. Kohn's (1976) items measuring normlessness were used as a dimension of anomy. A socioeconomic status index was established on the basis of respondents' parents' occupation, level of education, and annual income. Seven items were used to construct a scale to measure participation in several different types of criminal behavior. The findings indicate that change in sex roles in American society contributes to psychological disorganization in women, which in turn increases criminal behaviors that are expressions of feelings of lawlessness and normlessness. The socioeconomic status of the respondents was not found to be a significant factor in explaining deviant behavior. The findings imply that radical social change, regardless of the merits underlying it, produces social and psychological anomy that can lead to criminal behavior. A delivery system should be developed to assist in integrating information about changing sex roles in our society. Female adolescents should be primary targets for receiving such information, given the disproportionate increase in their suicide rates and participation in violent delinquency. Tabular data and 25 references are provided.