How the construction of women in discourse explains society’s challenge in accepting females commit sexual offences against children

De Motte, C ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1020-3226 and Mutale, G ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7743-2675, 2019. How the construction of women in discourse explains society’s challenge in accepting females commit sexual offences against children. Journal of Criminal Psychology, 9 (4), pp. 155-165. ISSN 2009-3829

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Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the way gender and gender roles are socially constructed by those who have experience of females committing sexual offences against children.

Design/methodology/approach: Using a discursive approach, supported by membership category analysis, a secondary analysis of qualitative data illustrates how the social construction of gender and gender roles impacts on society’s perception of females who commit sexual offences against children.

Findings: Discourse analysis found three patterns employed within conversation that demonstrate how the construction of women influence society’s incomprehension of females who commit sexual offences against children: women can be trusted, women do not manipulate and groom and, women are not sexually aggressive.

Research limitations/implications: A limitation of this study is the use of secondary data, which cannot provide the richness or detail found in primary accounts from people with this lived experience. The difficulty in accessing this sub-population highlights the hidden nature of the topic and the need for further research in this area.

Originality/value: This is the first study to explore how gender discourse is used in discussions of females who commit sexual offences against children. The value of this exploration highlights the need of society to adjust their perceptions of the offending capabilities of women and to ensure the experiences of people who experience this form of sexual abuse receive support.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of Criminal Psychology
Creators:	De Motte, C. and Mutale, G.
Publisher:	Emerald
Date:	4 November 2019
Volume:	9
Number:	4
ISSN:	2009-3829
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1108/JCP-07-2019-0024 DOI 1207164 Other
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	05 Dec 2019 14:16
Last Modified:	17 Jan 2020 11:56
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/38770

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