Women Have More Criminal Tendencies Than Men — Criminologist

A professor of criminology at the Kaduna State University, Hauwa’u Evelyn Yusuf has revealed that criminal tendencies are higher in women than in men.

She however said this characteristic of most women were masked by the fact that they are often seen as victims of gender discrimination.

She stated this in Kaduna, at the 7th Inaugural Lecture entitled, “Challenges of Humanity: The Nexus Between Criminality, Women, the Girl Child, Patriarchy and Religion”, organized by the university in her honour.

According to her, women involvement in crimes often go unnoticed and unpunished, because they are often seen as the weaker sex and incapable of committing certain crimes.

“However, women criminal tendencies overweigh that of a lot of men in our present world,” Yusuf said.

According to the professor of criminology and gender studies, females were more into crimes such as larceny, fraud, forgery and embezzlement.

She added that theft and fraud committed by women typically involved shop lifting and issuing bad cheques, all of which were compatible with traditional female consumer and domestic roles.

Yusuf, however, noted that women tend to have a lower arrest rates than males for virtually all categories of crimes, except prostitution.

The criminology and gender expert blamed the development on gender inequality, discrimination and violence meted on women and the girl-child since time immemorial.

She explained that many women in social and economic margin struggle to survive outside legitimate enterprises which leads them into crimes.

Yusuf added that most women offenders have histories of sexual or physical abuse that appears to be the major driver of subsequent delinquencies, addiction and criminality.

According to her, the male-controlled culture remains the most domineering factor in the gender inequality and discrimination that characterized human society.

“Above all, patriarchal culture has continued to nurture and entrench all sorts of violence against women and the girl-child.

“The male-dominated phenomenon, which enjoys close affinity with religion has continued to put women and the girl-child in a perpetually precarious position, and lowering their social status and roles.

“This has also made it possible for women to engage in crimes unchecked as they are seen as not capable of criminality, whereas their criminal tendencies overweight that of most men.

“This is to the extent that women involvement in more serious crime often go unnoticed and unpunished.”

Yusuf stressed that much needed to be done to address the realities of gender inequality and gender discrimination that affects humanity, with accompanied negative socio-economic and political consequences.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Muhammad Tanko, described Yusuf as an “icon of gender equality and social inclusion”.

Tanko described her as a “blessing to humanity” and added that her choice of specialty and years of research has made her to stand out among her peers.

He said that the university would continue to provide the needed environment and opportunity for scholars to conduct researches that would be significantly beneficial to humanity.

NAN