Gender and the Commission of Street Robbery in Seattle

• In Event: The Impact of Gender on Offending

Abstract

Prevailing qualitative research suggests that gender plays a major role in the extent and nature of street robbery. The organization of gender seems to dictate many of robbery’s “rules of engagement:” Groups of males rob other males with a gun and threat of force whereas females tend to use more coercive methods and more often rob females. Yet, few quantitative studies have tested these qualitatively-described patterns. The goal of the current research is to examine gendered patterns in robbery, for both solo and groups of offenders, partly to compare patterns to existing qualitative research. A second goal is to identify in what ways gender stratification shapes the commission of robbery. Using about 1400 redacted robbery reports from the City of Seattle Police Department for the years 2010-2011, the current research shows both gender similarities and differences in the commission of robbery. We examined factors such as items stolen, victim’s and co-offender’s demographic characteristics, and context of the offense (location, weapon use, victim injury). Based on details in the police reports, we present several representative case studies which show how men and women enact robbery in the gender-stratified context of the street.

Authors

• Jennifer Schwartz, Washington State University

• Heather Reyes, Washington State University