SPECIFYING THE GENDER-CLASS-DELINQUENCY RELATIONSHIP - EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF EDUCATIONAL EXPECTATIONS

Traditionally, research on the class-crime relationship has ignored ge nder, while much of the past research on the gender-delinquency relati onship has ignored class. Both feminist criminologists and social psyc hologists, such as House (1981), suggest that analyses of class and ge nder should involve the examination of how these factors shape individ ual lives. In this paper we explore the role of educational expectatio ns as one factor shaped by both class and gender. We consider three is sues. First, is social class significantly related to female, as well as male, delinquency? Second, does social class shape educational expe ctations and do they, in turn, enhance the likelihood of delinquent in volvement? Third, are there differences by gender in the ways that soc ial class conditions educational expectations? The findings suggest th at gender and class are both important factors shaping educational exp ectations and through them, delinquency.