Explaining the Gender Gap in Delinquency: Peer Influence and Moral Evaluations of Behavior

1998/08/01 by DANIEL P. MEARS, Daniel P. Mears, MATTHEW PLOEGER +3 · 8 citations
Neuroscience · Social Sciences · #Crime Patterns and Interventions #Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment #Social and Intergroup Psychology

paper · doi:10.1177/0022427898035003001

crossref issued 1998/08/01 · crossref published 1998/08/01 · crossref published-online 1998/08/01 · crossref published-print 1998/08/01 · openalex publication_date 1998/08/01 · crossref created 2007/03/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref deposited 2026/04/30 · crossref indexed 2026/07/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

Gender is one of the strongest correlates of delinquent behavior, but gender differences in delinquency have proven difficult to explain. Some analysts have called for gender-specific theories of delinquency, whereas others argue that males and females are differentially exposed to or differentially affected by the same criminogenic conditions. Building on the latter approach, this article draws on Sutherland's theory of differential association and Gilligan's theory of moral development to argue that males and females are differentially affected by exposure to delinquent peers. Analysis of data from the National Youth Survey supports the hypothesis that moral evaluations act as a barrier to reduce or counteract the influence of delinquent peers among females, thereby producing large observed sex differences in delinquent behavior.

Citations

• A Differential Association-Reinforcement Theory of Criminal Behavior
• THE INFLUENCE OF DELINQUENT PEERS: WHAT THEY THINK OR WHAT THEY DO?*
• In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development.

Cited by

• Using an Adapted Job Demands–Resources Model to Examine the Use of Legal, Prescription, and Illegal Drugs for Cognitive Enhancement in the Working Population in Germany
• The Color of Discipline: Sources of Racial and Gender Disproportionality in School Punishment
• The Risk of Informal Socializing with Peers: Considering Gender Differences Across Predatory Delinquency and Substance Use
• Crime propensity and lifestyle risk: The interplay of personal morality and self-control ability in determining the significance of criminogenic exposure
• The Influence of Delinquen Peers on Delinquency
• Are Zero Tolerance Policies Effective in the Schools? An Evidentiary Review and Recommendations
• How “Specific” Are Gender-Specific Rehabilitation Needs? An Empirical Analysis
• Does Growing Up in a High Crime Neighborhood Affect Youth Criminal Behavior?

Related

• The Influence of Delinquen Peers on Delinquency
• DOES THE GENDER GAP IN DELINQUENCY VARY BY LEVEL OF PATRIARCHY? A CROSS‐NATIONAL COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
• Gender, Crime, and Desistance: Toward a Theory of Cognitive Transformation
• The Risk of Informal Socializing with Peers: Considering Gender Differences Across Predatory Delinquency and Substance Use
• Reconsidering Peers and Delinquency: How do Peers Matter?