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Narrowing Gender Gap in Arrests: Assessing Competing Explanations Using Self-Report, Traffic Fatality, and Official Data on Drunk Driving, 1980-2004

NCJ Number
224247
Journal
Criminology Volume: 46 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2008 Pages: 637-672
Author(s)
Jennifer Schwartrz; Bryan D. Rookey
Date Published
August 2008
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This article examines the narrowing gender gap in drunk driving arrests.
Abstract
Analyses show that women of all ages are making arrest gains on men, a converging gender gap. In contrast, self-report and traffic data indicate little or no systematic change in the Driving Under the Influence (DUI) gender gap. The work evaluates two alternative explanations for the converging gender gap in arrest: changes in women's behavior versus changes in the mechanisms of social control. Using the offense of drunk driving and three methodologically diverse datasets, trends in the DUI gender gap were examined, and the work probed for changes across various age groups and across measures tapping DUI prevalence and chronicity. Findings of this work also support the conclusion that mechanisms of social control have shifted to disproportionately target female offending patterns. Little support exists for the contention that increased strain and liberalized gender roles have altered the gender gap or female drunk-driving patterns. Data were derived through augmented Dickey-Fuller time-series techniques which were used to assess changes in the gender gap and levels of drunk driving from 1980 to 2004. Arrest statistics for DUI were derived from the Uniform Crime Report System disseminated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; self-report data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; and traffic data from the Fatality Analysis reporting System. Table, figures, and references