Good Girls Bad Girls the Paradox of Femininity
Good Girls Bad Girls: the Paradox of Femininity SOCI 0067: Crime and the Media Lecture 7 Dr. L. Cho, Ph. D E-mail: Lifcho@gmail. com DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
Crime News a Staple Feature of News Media l l l Media scholars show high levels of interest in crime coverage Studied crime from various angles Studying gender of victims and criminals is often a secondary interest
Why Study Gender in Crime News l l l Systematically observe gender politics Demonstrate power relations of various members of society “Who gets away with what against whom”
Why Study Gender in Crime News l l Crime coverage studied within patriarchal context in which it is produced and consumed Where some images of crime and gender are selected over others Source: http: //www. abc 3340. com/news/stories/0209/593425. html
Media Portrayal of Women Compared to Men l l Best to look at gender in relation to each other Can understand one better when looking at the other
Women Over Represented as Victims of Crime l l Women featured in news coverage of crime are typically over represented as victims of crime Studies show that TV news and newspapers over-represent male criminality and victimization of women
Women in Crime News Mostly Appear as Victims l l Most studies concentrate on portrayal of their victimization Media construction: Male are aggressive, female are passive Victimized women don’t pose a threat to patriarchal ideology Reinforces hegemonic discourses of gender
HK Crime Stats l l Over 90% of offenders identified were male About 70% of victims were male Source: Broadhurst (1999) as presented in http: //www. crime. hku. hk/rb-homicide. htm
Sex of Offender and Victim NEWS REPORTS 55. 1% Female victim 47. 3% Male victim POLICE STATS 38. 6% Female victim 61. 4% Male victim Source: Naylor, B. (2001). Reporting violence in the British print media: Gendered stories. The Howard Journal, 40/2. 180 -194.
Construction of Female Victims l l Their difference/ otherness takes centre stage Contradiction: women likely to be blamed because they are victims and likely to be blamed because they are perpetrator
Women Bear Responsibility for the Act of Others l l Blamed when child does wrong Blamed for being too protective Blamed for not paying enough attention Blamed for being a bad example
Women Portrayed as Victims of Rape Crime Media portrayal: characteristics l Cast women as being responsible for her own victimization l Consistent with broader social response Jodie Foster plays Sara Tobias who was Raped by 3 men While male spectators Stood by and cheered http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=qo 3 Xc. Ng. Yb. Ts
Classic Example of Rape Crime Coverage Portrayal of Women l Women provoked their own rape l Wearing sexy clothes l Putting themselves at risk l Went bar hopping and other dangerous places Portrayal of Men l l Men portrayed not as average guy Portrayed as someone mentally deranged or a monster, often a stranger Thelma and Louise: http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=PRr 0 HY 9 MPZ 0
Stranger Danger Myth l l Research shows 1/3 sexual assaults in U. S. involves a stranger 2/3 involves someone they know
Homicide Registry in HK (1989 to 1997) l l In Hong Kong over 1/3 homicide involve stranger Nearly ½ involve someone they know Source: Broadhurst (1999) as presented in http: //www. crime. hku. hk/rb-homicide. htm
Rape Portrayed as Sexual Event l l l Violence and coercion typically minimized or ignored Victim’s account usually not present, except that she misunderstood his friendliness Offender portrayed as having misunderstood victim’s behaviour
Stereotypes of Women Three basic types: 1. Hysterical 2. Promiscuous 3. Manipulative Source: http: //deseretnews. com/article/1, 5143, 595087821, 00. html? pg=3
Acquittal Gets Headlines Studies show: l Acquittal of rape charge attracts headlines l Conviction is buried in the paper l Unless, offender fits “stranger danger” stereotype Source: http: //www. usatoday. com/news/nation/2008 -03 -26 -bachelor-acquitted_N. htm
News Report Language Example 1: In the U. S. a man rapes a woman every 6 minutes How do these statements influence your perception of crime? Example 2: In the U. S. , a woman is raped by a man every 6 minutes
Passive Voice Example 2: In the U. S. , a woman is raped by a man every 6 minutes l Tendency for men (but not women) to attribute less harm to the victim and less responsibility to the perpetrator of violence against a woman l Passive voice more often used in stories about violence against woman
“Right Sort” of Female Victim l l l Victims who lend themselves to construction of innocent and vulnerability (e. g. Susan Smith, middle-class, white, mother of two) Marginal groups (low income, racial minorities) are difficult to be portrayed as blameless or pure Receive less coverage and less sympathy
“Right Sort” of Female Offender l l l HK “The Milkshake Murder”: Nancy Kissel Offenders more easily constructed as “marginal” More news worthy Women who commit serious offense is rare Rarity is important news value Women even more newsworthy when marginalized by reference to their sexuality
Woman Who Commit Violent Crimes l l Portrayed as one or another extreme of our cultural understanding of femininity Violent women are rare Therefore, more fascinating and evil They are the “other”
HK Women in Crime Stats l l l Women generally do not commit crime More rare involve in violent crime like killing strangers or serial murders In 2002, 13% of all violent crimes allegedly committed by women (arrest data)
2007 HK Murder Offenders: Female 4 (16%) / Male 21(84%) Source: http: //www. police. gov. hk/review/2005/pdf/appendix_7. pdf
Sex of Offenders NEWS REPORTS 72. 9% male offender 21. 3% female offender POLICE STATS Homicide 88. 8% Male Offender 11. 2% Female Offenders Guilty or cautioned for indictable offences of violence 85. 5% Male offender 14. 5% Female offenders Source: Naylor (2001)
Media Portrayal of Female Offenders l l Sexually promiscuous (vamp) Sexually inexperienced (virgin)
Different Standards Applied Young Boys l Normal delinquency Young Girls l Amoral and wayward l Offense is over dramatized l Non-criminal behaviour such as perceived sexual misconduct more likely to result in punishment for a girl
News Media Portrayals of Physical Attractiveness of Offenders Male l Few details Female l l l Featured in high profile cases Unnatural, large, stocky, heavy built, Demure, pretty, attractive Source: Content analysis of UK media (news & film) from 1945 to 1990 (Reiner 1997)
News Media Portrayal: Domestic Violence Case Male l l l Rarely a moral implication Evaluated in relation to how well he fits into conventional masculine role Motivate related to jealousy, depression, her “nagging” personality Female l l Bad wife Not conforming to traditional feminine notions Kills husband because of his abusiveness Portrayed as having provoked his abusiveness Source: Content analysis of UK media (news & film) from 1945 to 1990 (Reiner 1997)
News Media Portrayal: Child Abuse Cases Male l l l Rarely portrayed as “bad dad” Even when men abuse children, mother is blamed for not taking control Research shows she too is a victim of abuse Female l l l Likely portrayed as “bad mom” Violation of conventional gender role as caregiver Considered a “monster” in cases involving death of child Source: Content analysis of UK media (news & film) from 1945 to 1990 (Reiner 1997)
News Media Portrayal: Child Abuse Cases Male Criminals l l l l Men’s violence explained away as: Depressed by unemployment Work stress Challenge to honor Mediated by alcohol Moral implications are often omitted We are not exceptionally shocked by male aggression or question masculinity Female Criminals l l More in need of “explanation” Radically challenge traditional conceptions of women Portrayed as bad, mad, wicked or weak Cast outside of realm of normalcy
Female Violent Criminal l Not conforming to traditional feminine notions Violation of conventional gender role as caregiver Radically challenge traditional conceptions of women
News Media Portrayal: Child Abuse Cases Male Criminals l l l l Men’s violence explained away as: Depressed by unemployment Work stress Challenge to honor Mediated by alcohol Moral implications are often omitted We are not exceptionally shocked by male aggression or question masculinity Female Criminals l l More in need of “explanation” Radically challenge traditional conceptions of women Portrayed as bad, mad, wicked or weak Cast outside of realm of normalcy
Female Violent Offenders l l l Rare, unnatural, ‘doubly deviant’ Not only broken law but transgressed norms of acceptable feminine behaviour Rarity encourages sensational reporting
Dominant Discourse: “Bad” or “Mad” Madness Discourse l l Women at mercy of hormones or biology (PMS) Victims of tragedy or trauma Badness Discourse l l Evil creature Anti-thesis to ‘normal women’
“Bad”: Susan Smith l l l October 25, 1994 reported to police she was carjacked by a black man who drove away with her sons still in the car. Later, Smith confessed to letting her car roll into nearby lake drowning her children inside. Many people across the US and around the world felt deeply betrayed Aggravated by the fact that she had attempted to falsely blame a black man, making the case racially sensitive. Her alleged motive for the murders was to have a relationship with a wealthy local man
“Bad”: Susan Smith l l l Portrayed by the media as “selfish” woman Social factors (e. g. sexual abuse) were down played She committed a crime that threaten patriarchal ideology that mothers should be caregivers
“Mad”: Sanna Sillanpaa l l l Late Feb 1999 in Finland Sillanpaa attacked a shooting club in a suburb of Helsinki, Finland Killed 3 men and injured a 4 th man
“Mad”: Sanna Sillanpaa l l Sanna refused to talk (to both police and in court) Police and press interviewed relatives who has known her Media constructs her as sick rather than evil October 2000 established she was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia
Female Criminality in the Media l Few studies on media’s construction of female criminality l Question: Do female criminals who violate gender norms and challenge patriarchy receive the same media treatment as their male counter parts?
Methodology l l Six months study (Nov 1, 2001 to April 30, 2002) The Herald Times (Indiana) 2, 281 crime stories 179 editions Source: Grabe, M. E. , Trager, K. , Lear, M. and Rauch, J. , (2004)
Gender in Crime News: a case study test of the chivalry hypothesis Chivalry Hypothesis: Female criminals received more lenient treatment in criminal justice system and in news coverage of their crimes than their male counter part
Chivalry Hypothesis l Asserts: Because women are viewed as weak and irrational, law enforcers and criminal justice system treat them more leniently l l l Some studies offer partial support for the chivalry hypothesis Others challenged the idea Some pointed out chivalry is not equally bestowed on all female criminals
Chivalry Hypothesis l l l Depends on type of offense rather than severity of offense Female criminals treated more severity than male criminals if commit unfeminine acts (e. g. violent behaviour, victimize children) Compared to illegal activity that conform to standards of womanhood (e. g. stealing food to feed the family) l l l Petty crime committed are often overlooked Violent women are punished and publically demonized as a cautionary tale to women about risks associated with strategies of male violence This reinforces stereotypical female sex roles that perpetuate patriarchy
Media Treatment of Female Criminals l l Follow the same pattern Type of crime women committed significantly affect how they were treated in the news
Findings: l l l Women who commit violent crimes received prominent journalistic treatment in the Herald Times than women who committed nonviolent crimes More days of coverage, headlines longer, font size of headlines 9 times more likely to appear on front page news of newspapers
Women Committed Crime Against Children Received harsher treatment in the media than women who committed violent and nonviolent crime (prominent coverage)
Harsher Treatment l l l More likely as framed as selfinterested criminals 28% of violent crimes journalistically framed as individuallevel impetus (greed, revenge, substance abuse, psychologically instability) 5. 9% non-violent crimes in this frame
Women Commit Violent Crime Treated More Harshly By Media Women who commit violent crimes and crimes against children will receive harsher media treatment (prominent coverage, behaviour framed as result of individual flaws than male counterpart
Crimes Against Children Women who commit crimes against children (51%) more likely to be explained as having a cause than crimes against adult victims (20. 9%) Particularly because it violated gender expectations
Gender Stereotyping Male Criminal l Less likely to be framed as acting in self-interest (15. 7%) Violent behaviour more often received societallevel explanation (2. 1%) 77. 8% of stories did not offer reason for violent act Female Criminal l l More prominent coverage Almost twice as likely as men to be framed as acting in self-interest (25%) Violent behaviour less often received societal level explanation (1. 1%) 64. 5% of stories did not explain reason for violent crime
Crimes Against Children Male Perpetrator l l 4. 3% of stories appear on front page 1. 9% lead story 14. 9% of stories have photo accompanying story 16. 1% framed as individually motivated rather than societal factors Female Perpetrator l l 7. 2% of stories appear on front page 3. 6% lead story 21. 8% of stories have photo accompanying story 41. 8% framed as individually motivated rather than societal factors
Bonnie and Clyde Effect l l Stories of men and women collaborating in crime received more sensational coverage Sensational: Appear in the main section, on front page, lead story, accompany with photo, larger font size, more words in headline, more days of coverage, more graphic description of crime
In Sum: Public Interest and Profit l l Despite serving the public interest, news media are business ventures Goal: Maximize profit! Public’s “right to know” is often weighed against some newspaper’s habitual publication of ‘soft’ porn dressed up as ‘news’ Example: Edison Chan nude photo incident Source: Berrington, E. and P. Honkatukia. (2002). An Evil Monster and a Poor Thing: Female Violence in the Media. Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention. 3: 50 -72.
Media Construction of Gender l l Journalist work within norms and conventions of industry and society Conformity to certain ideological pressure is expected and at times required Produce stories with established frames and templates Patriarchal cultural constructions of gender continues to underpin press accounts
Routinization l l l Journalism is largely formulaic, routinized, and standardized Their work is often guided by precedent Personal values and social background of reporters may have some influence
Forensic Journalism l l Describes a routinized style of crime reporting Focus on details of individual crimes Focus on situational dynamics within which the crime takes place Tells readers about more and more about less and less l l l Sharper the focus More Details Less we learn about larger issues and patterns Source: Websdale, N. and A. Alvarez. (1998). Forensic Journalism as Patriarchal Ideology: The Newspaper Construction of Homicide-Suicide. In Popular Culture, Crime and Justice, (Eds. ) F. Bailey and D. Hale. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Pp. 123 -141.
Forensic Journalism l l Not referring to reporting of crime or criminologically oriented stories Term refers to style of newspaper reporting that focus on the minutiae of the crime scene rather than social context the crime is embedded l l l Stylistic coveergae of violent crime that relies on “objectively” describing situational details of crime scene Just like the “irrefutable” logic and meticulousness of forensic science “Objective” reporting of the facts imparts a sense of credibility to crime reporting
Forensic Journalism l l l Account for factual aspects of the crime Age Sex Race of offender and victim Relationship between the parties l l Explain violence t the level of individual participants Reporters select materials from police source
Three Interrelated Characteristics of Forensic Journalism 1. Situational based explanation l l Irrefutable facts Facts readers can identify Age, sex, relationship type, weapons used No social structural context
2. Situationally based dramaturgical representation l l Horrific final moments described in detail Dramatic imagery Blood, gore (e. g. shot in the face with 12 gauge shot gun, stabbed in the neck 10 times) Hyper-fascination with weapons used l l l “Tainting” offenders (as opposed to demonizing them) Constrained sensationalism Gory details focuses readers on individual responsibility as oppose to discuss structural/social causes
3. Internal Myopia l l Disregard for patterns of reporting previously Thus disregarding structural explanations (e. g. ignoring systematic violence against women, history of domestic violence)
Findings l l Significant difference in portrayal of female perpetrator and male perpetrator Homicide suicide reports reenforce patriarchal ideology l l Patriarchal ideology: a system of beliefs and ideas that justify or legitimate the power of men over women Expresses this relationship as natural and inevitable
Recommendations l l l News coverage should include more social structure context Address systematic violence against women History of domestic violence and women abuse
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