General theory, gender-specific theory, and white-collar crime

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of gender in white-collar crime. Directions for future research testing general and gender-specific theories are provided. Design/methodology/approach – Prior research is reviewed and critiques of general and gender-specific explanations for offending in the workplace context are advanced. Findings – Gender-specific explanations in other offending contexts (e.g. violent crime) appear to be less applicable to the understanding of white-collar crime, a finding that lends support to general theory. Practical implications – This paper provides an outline for future research testing criminological theory in organizational settings. Originality/value – This paper represents a unique attempt to apply general and gender-specific theories to a variety of financial crimes in the context of organizations.

Gender and Crime: Convenience for Pink-Collar Offenders

“…The gendered structure of many workplaces restricts women from achieving the kind of leadership positions that provide convenient opportunity to commit occupational and corporate crime (Holtfreter 2015). As long as a glass ceiling exists for most women in terms of promotion to top positions, women have less opportunity to commit white-collar crime (Dodge 2009).…”

“…Furthermore, as argued by Holtfreter (2015), strain might vary with gender. For example, there are suggestions that gender differences exist in the types of strain experienced, as well as in the reactions to particular strains.…”

“…Most research on the gender fraction of women in white-collar crime has focused on female lack of financial motive, female lack of organizational opportunity, and female lack of personal willingness for deviant behavior. Scholars such as Cumming, Leung, and Rui (2015), Dodge (2007), Holtfreter (2015), and Steffensmeier, Schwartz, and Roche (2013) emphasize lack of female motive. Scholars such as Benson and Gottschalk (2015), Benson and Simpson (2018), Dodge (2009), and Gottschalk and Smith (2015) emphasize a lack of female opportunity.…”

Individual and Organizational Predictors of White-Collar Crime: A Meta-Analysis

“…While males are generally more involved in all crime than females, there appears to be a smaller gender gap for some types of white-collar offenses. This finding has been attributed to the opportunity structure of corporate America, in that women often do not hold positions of power that would permit them to engage in high-level forms of corporate crime committed by their male counterparts (Holtfreter, 2015). However, low-level economically motivated offenses such as postal fraud, credit card fraud, and false claims have been found to mirror those of men (Daly, 1989).…”

More Research Results

“…This section is not concerned with the general gender gap as such in white-collar crime, where women commit less white-collar crime compared to men. Reasons for the general gender gap include lack of opportunity, lack of motive, and lack of rationalization (Holtfreter 2015;Steffensmeier et al 2013).…”