“Tell her to go get a job!”: Gendered attitudes among men with dual debt

• In Event: Monetary Sanctions, Child Support, Restitution, and Beyond

Abstract

An expanding area in the field of criminal legal punishment is a focus on those with multisystem involvement, such as those who are subject to criminal legal and child support debts simultaneously (referred to as dual debts). While research has identified this population as largely comprised of men, and explored general perceptions of unfairness, legal cynicism, and system avoidance among this group, it has yet to explore gendered attitudes. However, extant research has shown that gender has a strong impact on outcomes in the legal system. This paper draws on semi-structured interviews with 50 men and women sentenced to dual debts to analyze their attitudes towards women and different debt types in the context of their indebted lives. We find that several gendered interrelated attitudinal the0mes emerge from the men. (1) Women are perceived as taking advantage of child support funds for personal purchases rather than for their children. (2) Courts are perceived as treating women favorably compared to men. (3). Female court actors are seen as having significant power in the legal system to the detriment of men. We argue that family law reproduces patriarchal gender norms and that these gendered scripts are embedded in policies and practice.

Authors

• Veronica L. Horowitz, University at Buffalo, SUNY

• Makaela Brass, University at Buffalo, SUNY

• Hannah Schwendeman, University of Minnesota

• Ryan Larson, Hamline University

• Robert Stewart, University of Maryland

• Christopher Uggen, University of Minnesota