Page 1 of 11
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 345
Role of Women in Prevention of Crime: A Sociological Perspective
Dr. Nidhi Tyagi*
Associate Professor, College of Law & Legal Studies, Teerthanker Mahaveer University, Moradabad
(UP)
Correspondence through <drmehta6@gmail.com>
On behalf of Author <nidhi.law@tmu.ac.in>
Abstract
The increased ratio of corruption and crime has become one of the most pressing problems of
Indian society. Statistical data clearly indicates the increased ratio of crime but there may be
numerous cases which one may not come across in police records for example cases of white
collar crime, sex crime, rape murders, theft. If this increased ratio has to be controlled
multifaceted strategy must be adopted by the government. There must be the active participation
of the people for prevention of crime which should be the moral duty of every individual. Hence
the paper focuses on the need to recognize the role of role of women as an agent of social
control.
Keywords: Women, Gender perspective, Empowerment.
Introduction
Crime is one of the biggest problem faced by every society. It is a major social phenomenon of
modern civilized and advanced societies. Though crime also prevailed in primitive societies but
it was not a social problem in those days. For in primitive societies the mores were sufficient
enough to regulate the behavior of people and the few who disobeyed the rules were not
considered a threat to society. But in advanced contemporary societies the influence of mores has
lessened and it is difficult to compel the universal observance of mores. The culture in primitive
societies being static and homogenous there was little crime. But like many other social
problems of modern society, crime is also the price which we have to pay for the advantages of
Page 2 of 11
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 346
civilization. In India too it is steadily increasing in recent years. In every society we find people
breaking social norms. While some disregard marriage and family norms, others are involved in
activities like shoplifting, drug abuse or alcoholism. All these are instances of deviance. No
society can claim to have a complete conformity to its norms. Society has a balance conformity
to and deviance from norms. However all forms of deviance from criminal behavior to civil
disobedience are considered deviance because people perceive and interpret them as such.
Norms and deviance are associated with cultural values and crime is the major aspect of
deviance. Crime has been defined both socially and legally too. From a legal point of view,
“Crime is an intentional act or omission in violation of criminal law (statutory and case law),
committed without defense or justification and sanctioned by state as a felony or
misdemeanor.”1 Thus crime is an intentional act and the person knows the result of his action. A
criminal act is the violation of criminal law of the land. Thus, the legal definition of crime
emphasizes the circumstances in which a crime is committed. On the other hand, the social
explanation of crime highlights the non-legal aspects of crime. In this sense crime is a behavior
or activity which disregards the social codes of the community. Such a deviation is called anti- social act. Caldwell has stated crime as an act or failure to an act that is considered to be so
detrimental to the well being of a society, as judged by its prevailing standards, that action
against it cannot be entrusted to private initiative or to haphazard methods but must be taken by
an organized society in accordance with tested procedures.’ Since the crime threatens the social
order and endangers the person and property, it is considered as dysfunctional to society as well
as individual.
Factors Promote Crime in Society
If we want to study, analyze the ratio of crime in society, we need to understand the causes
behind it. Crime is not a product of one single factor but there are multiple factors which results
in the causation of crime. Some of the major are –
1. Environmental: The family and home are the fundamental social institutions having
greater influence on the development of personality of the child for broken homes
Page 3 of 11
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 347
constitute an important factor in the causation of juvenile delinquency, mainly
because of mother-child relationship. Lack of family ties, broken homes caused by
divorce, separation or voluntary break ups, absence of loving mother in early
childhood, loosening of family cohesion, absence of sound and stable family are
environmental factors contributing to the increase of delinquents. When the home is
immoral or when there are drunken, insane or feeble minded parents in the family, the
child is easily led astray and becomes disorganized.
2. Economic: It has generally been observed that crime increases with economic
depression and unemployment and decreases with good living conditions. Crimes are
also committed when people are not satisfied with their lawful earnings and adopt
unsocial conduct for satisfaction of their desires. Such offences as burglary, house
and shop breaking and robbery show a marked tendency to increase in the time of
economic depression and a decrease when times are good. Poverty is a degrading
experience. It lowers down the moral of the individual. It often results in frustration,
jealousy and bitterness; and through them to preserve political advertisement. Large
scale unemployment means social disorganization which leads to crime.
3. Emotional: Disturbance in emotional condition makes life unhappy . The emotional
upsets may be the result of, feeling keenly either rejected, reproved, insecure ,not
understood in affectional relationships involved in or that love has been withdrawn,
bitter feeling of jealousy towards one or more sibling or a feeling of being
discriminated in the family at the cost of other, a feeling of confused unhappiness due
to deep seated depression ,internal mental conflict, intense feeling of discomfort
about family disharmony, parental misconduct, parental error, the unhealthy
conditions of family life in management and disciplines, from a conflict arising out of
natural curiosity and the moral standards of society.
4. Biological: Early puberty also results in criminal behavior. Early physical maturity
but emotional immaturity may lead to crisis in adolescence. There is a link between
