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World War 2 and Its Effect on the Sex Differential in Arrests - An Empirical Test of the Sex-Role Equality and Crime Proposition

NCJ Number
72595
Journal
Sociological Quarterly Volume: 21 Issue: 3 Dated: (Summer 1980) Pages: 403-416
Author(s)
D J Steffensmeier; A S Rosenthal; C Shehan
Date Published
1980
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Explanations for the decrease in the sex differential in arrests during World War II are empirically tested.
Abstract
A common explanation for the decrease in the sex differential in arrests during World War II is the change in female sex-role behavior, notably due to the expanding occupational roles of women. Other explanations, however, appear equally plausible: (1) changes in the sex-age structure of the population at risk and (2) changes in official reactions to female 'sex offenders' over the prewar to wartime period, as reflected in the differentiation in types of crimes for which males and females were arrested during the war. Examination of appropriate statistics for the period in question reveals that simply correcting for the sex-age structure of the population can reduce the narrowing of the sex differential considerably. Further, taking into account type of crime and omitting offense categories that reflect the paternalism and double standard of sexual morality in society cause the narrowing of sex differential in arrests to disappear. The predicted special effects of World War II on female arrests for property crimes did not materialize. However, female gains occurred in sex-related offense categories (i.e., vagrancy, drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and prostitution, among others). These gains appear to reflect changes during World War II in public attitudes and official policy as much or more than actual behavior of females. Tabular data and over 50 references are provided. (Author abstract modified)