Gender Plays a Role in How our Society Defines and Perceives Drug Abuse as a Crime

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Introduction

The misuse of substances such as alcohol, cigarettes, cocaine, marijuana, illegal drugs, and other such stimulants has augmented at an extreme level. The illegal trafficking of harmful drugs is also common these days. Many of such cases have been identified while many of them still exist, which is why the population, especially the youth is getting affected and addicted to it. Drug abuse does not only affect the person taking it but also harms others (Stasby et al. 2017) as it increases the probability of aggression. It increases violent behaviour by the person using it (Coomber, et al., 2019). As proven in different studies, it has become one of the main reasons of crime, not only in Australia but in many other countries. All the genders get affected by drug and alcohol abuse, youngsters being the most vulnerable groups. However, this essay will try to shed light on how gender plays a role in how our society defines and perceives drug abuse as a crime. For example, in many societies, it is normal for men to indulge in an aggressive activity owing to abuse of a substance but is unacceptable if the same is done by a woman. On the other hand, in some cases, women and children are treated in a less punitive way if they commit a crime due to drug abuse or consume an illegal drug itself. The essay will hence go through some literature to have a clearer idea about the thesis.

Alcohol abuse by men is perceived to be the reason behind domestic violence and assault in heterosexual groups. Whenever the topic of domestic violence arises, it is often correlated with alcohol and drugs on the part of the male partner. In fact, in most of the recorded cases of domestic violence against women, alcohol intake is very common aspect. But it should be taken into account that alcohol intake may increase aggression or give impetus to an aggressive behaviour but cannot change the personality of an individual. A study by Kentor & Straus (1987) also showed that the link between alcohol consumption and violence is “unethical”. Domestic violence is also committed by people who do not take alcohol or drugs. Studies conducted on domestic violence have found many reasons behind it, which includes need of power and control, supremacy, other relationship problems, but idea attaching alcohol consumption as a cause lacks in logic. Alcohol abuse in women to reduce the effects of violence against them is a less touched upon topic. (Stuart et al, 2002). Despite, of all these facts, the society still thinks that limiting the alcohol consumption may help to reduce the crime of violence in the household, which is not wrong, but is not the solution to the problem.

Are men more addicted to and affected by alcohol abuse than women?

Men are always believed to indulge in activities related to drug abuse and therefore crime, more than women. However, NIJ research found that women were more involved in hard drug use (Lo,2004). It is true that many of the illicit drug trafficking is operated mostly by men, many of their customers are women too and their number is not less than men. According to Becker et al. (2009), The rate of drug abuse is currently lower in females. Howerver, the societal perception of women being a more decent gender as compared to men is gradually being proved wrong as these days more and more women are getting involved in drug abuse even more than men. In many countries, the parents are not aware of their ‘female’ children, consuming alcohol even if they are adults because they are not allowed to. The ratio of addicts thus is same in males and females, even though some of them are not revealed. Many studies have cleared that that men and women are equally involved in drug and alcohol abuse. But, abusing substance alone is not a crime and this essay studies drug abuse as a crime. Talking about the indulgence in criminal activities, the male addicts are more likely to commit something illegal. Street violence, murders, bullying, sexual assault, and harassment is more likely to be committed by men and exceeds the ratio as compared to women. They are more likely to form gangs to execute a criminal activity.

The sexual Minority

Many studies just focus on the roles of two genders when considering drug abuse and crime. When thinking upon this topic, sexual minorities should be given attention as they are the most vulnerable groups. Dermant & Saliba (2020) studied that sexual minority people use more alcohol than other genders, which may cause risk to health and behaviour. The main aim of the authors was to explore high-risk alcohol consumption among the SMYPs in Australia. The literature identified disparities between discreet identity subgroups bases on sexual orientation and gender. A large population of transgender community is addicted to drugs. LGBTQs are more likely to take illicit drugs than heterosexuals. The reason behind this quite obvious. One of the main reasons behind using drugs and alcohol for anyone is coping with negative emotions such depression, anxiety and feeling of worthlessness. No doubt, transgenders are the most vulnerable to such emotions as they are the ones who are most bullied and not given enough respect in the society. Despite of the amount of alcohol and drug intake by them, they are not as involved in criminal activities as compared to other genders. In fact, they are the ones who end up being the victims. Even if they are the victims, the people tend to blame them for their situations and thus the offenders remain unpunished for their crimes. Unlike women, in the cases of sexual assault, they are shown less sympathy and justice. Many households still believe their community is the one who are involved in activities which are unlawful and anti-social.

The perception of criminal events

According to what the studies show till now, drug abuse leads to aggressive behaviours and commitment of crimes, which results in arrest and punishment. The amount of punishment for a crime related to drug abuse, sometimes depends upon the gender. As mentioned earlier, in the case of transgender victims, they are not provided with enough justice and in fact, can be blamed and accused for the same. When considering men and women, and children, crimes between women and between children are perceived to be less serious than the same crimes between men or between adults (Gould & Gertz 1994). Women are treated more leniently when they do something unlawful. It is obvious that this does not apply in major crimes such as murders, but in instances where the crime is less serious, women and adolescents are sometimes at a benefit. Taking an example of drinking and driving, many a times females are just given a warning while men are fined for the same. One of the main reasons is reputation. As already discussed, women are supposed to be a more mannered and descent gender, and any involvement in an unlawful activity attacks their upbringing in many societies. Men on the other hand, have less chances of escaping minor crimes.

Conclusion

Drug and alcohol abuse have a major impact on a person’s existence and the other way round. A person’s role in the society has an equal effect on how the society perceives it as a crime. The general public has its own opinions about how drug consumption is related to different crimes. Gender differences has always been a controversial topic and remains constant even when talking about drug abuse and crime. “Sex differences and gender are not solely determined by biology, nor are they entirely sociocultural” (Becker et al. 2016). The interactions between biological, sociocultural, environmental, and developmental impacts, all lead to the roles gender play in the society, which is shaped by sociocultural structures. Drug abuse does lead to many crimes, however, unlike what the majority presumes, it does not always. It is true that it stimulates the behaviour but cannot make a civilized person murder somebody. It is the personality of the individual which just gets to the surface. There are different theories on the relation between crime, drugs and gender, however, there is not clear answer. The subject area still needs more study and research

References

Becker, D.F., & Grilo, C.M. (2009). Prediction of drug and alcohol abuse in hospitalized adolescents: comparison by gender and substance type. Behaviour Research and
Therapy, 44, 1431-1440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.10.009.
Becker, J., McClellan, M., & Reed, B. (2016). Sex differences, gender and addiction. Journal Of Neuroscience Research, 95(1-2), 136-147. https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.23963.
Coomber, K., Curtis, A., Vandenberg, B., Miller, P.G., Heilbronn, C., d, Matthews, S., Smith, K., Wilson, J., Moayeri, F., Mayshak, R., Lubman, D.I., & Scott, D. (2019). Aggression and violence at ambulance attendances where alcohol, illicit and/or pharmaceutical drugs were recorded. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 205, 107685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.
Dermant, D., & Saliba, B. (2020). Harmful alcohol use among sexual minority young people in australia. Public Health, 179, 18-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2019.09.022.
Gould, L., & Gertz, M. (1994). Race and gender effects on perception of criminal events: testing hypotheses from black’s ‘the behaviour of law’. Journal of Correctional Education, 45(2), 62-70.
Kantor, G., & Straus, M. (1987). The ‘Drunken Bum’ theory of wife beating. Social Problems, 34(3), 213-230. https://doi.org/10.1525/sp.1987.34.3.03a00010.
Lo, C. (2004). Sociodemographic factors, drug abuse, and other crimes: how they vary among male and female arrestees. Journal of Criminal Justice, 32(5), 399-409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2004.06.002.
Stanesby, O., Rankin, G., & Callinan, S. (2017). Experience of harm from others’ drinking and support for stricter alcohol policies: analysis of the australian national drug strategy household survey. International Journal Of Drug Policy, 45, 25-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.05.002.
Stuart GL, Meehan JC, Moore TM, Morean M, Hellmuth J, Follansbee K, (2006) Examining a conceptual framework of intimate partner violence in men and women arrested for domestic violence. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 67, 102–112. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsa.2006.67.102.

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Gender Plays a Role in How our Society Defines and Perceives Drug Abuse as a Crime

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