WOMEN AND CRIME - AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

• NCJ Number: 59746
• Journal: Economic Inquiry Volume: 27 Dated: (JANUARY 1979) Pages: 29-51
• Author(s): A P BARTEL
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 23 pages
• Corporate Author: Western Economic Assoc
• Sale Source: Institute for Scientific Information
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE DETERMINANTS OF FEMALE PARTICIPATION IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES WERE ANALYZED BY MEANS OF AN ECONOMIC MODEL OF CRIME DEVELOPED BY ISAAC EHRLICH.

Abstract

THE EHRLICH MODEL OF THE OPTIMAL ALLOCATION OF TIME AND RESOURCES TO COMPETING LEGAL AND ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES WAS USED TO SUPPORT THE HYPOTHESIS THAT WOMEN'S LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION AND MARITAL STATUS WOULD HAVE AMBIGUOUS EFFECTS ON FEMALE CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES AS A RESULT OF COMPETING SUBSTITUTION AND SCALE EFFECTS, WHILE THE PRESENCE OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN WOULD REDUCE CRIME. THE EHRLICH MODEL DERIVES BEHAVIORAL IMPLICATIONS FROM A VERSION OF THE MODEL IN WHICH CONSUMPTION TIME IS FIXED AND ANOTHER IN WHICH CONSUMPTION TIME IS ENDOGENOUS. AN ANALYSIS OF FEMALE PARTICIPATION IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES REQUIRED A MODEL THAT CONSIDERED NOT ONLY THE OPTIMAL ALLOCATION OF TIME BETWEEN LEGAL AND ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES BUT ALSO THE OPTIMAL ALLOCATION OF TIME BETWEEN HOUSEHOLD AND WORK ACTIVITIES (LEGAL AND ILLEGAL). THE MODEL WAS TESTED AGAINST 1970 DATA ON FEMALE ARRESTS IN 33 STATES (17 STATES WERE OMITTED BECAUSE THEY DID NOT REPORT THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO ESTIMATE THE PENALTIES AND CONVICTION PROBABILITIES). THE MAJOR FINDINGS WERE THAT THE PROBABILITY OF ARREST AND OF CONVICTION HAS SIGNIFICANT DETERRENT EFFECTS ON FEMALE PROPERTY CRIME, THE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE OF MARRIED WOMEN HAS NO EFFECT, AND THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN HUSBAND-WIFE FAMILIES HAS A SIGNIFICANT AND NEGATIVE EFFECT. ONCE THE NUMBER OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IS HELD CONSTANT, THE PARTIAL EFFECT OF LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION ON FEMALE CRIME IS NEGATIVE. THE DRAMATIC RISE IN FEMALE CRIME WOULD THEREFORE APPEAR NOT TO BE DUE TO THE INCREASE IN FEMALE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE LABOR MARKET BUT RATHER TO THE SHARP DECREASE IN THE WOMAN'S VALUE OF TIME AT HOME. THE EHRLICH MODEL IS ILLUSTRATED WITH EQUATIONS AND TABLES, DATA SOURCES ARE APPENDED, AND REFERENCES AND FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED. (MHP)