Anomie Theories of Female Offending

Abstract

Anomie theories are macro‐level explanations of crime and deviance that can be classified into three main perspectives – Durkheimian, Mertonian, and contemporary elaborations. Although the term anomie is applied in a different manner under these perspectives, central to each is the interplay of social structure and cultural value systems within a social collective, which when maladjusted can pressure individuals to commit crime and deviance. Although it is expected that girls and women would experience anomie differently compared to boys and men, these perspectives have been undertheorized and under‐researched with regard to gender.