ABSTRACT
Feminist criminology refers to a body of research and theory that situates the study of crime and criminal justice within a complex understanding that the social world is systematically shaped by relations of sex and gender. Though feminist scholarship emerges from diverse theoretical traditionsfor example, liberal, Marxist, radical, socialist, postmodern and poststructural feminist traditions (see Tong, 1998)—there are a number of central beliefs that guide feminist inquiry. Daly and Chesney-Lind (1988:504) list five aspects of feminist thought that distinguish it from traditional criminological inquiry. These include the recognition that:
In addition, contemporary feminist scholars strive to be attentive to the interlocking nature of race, class, and gender oppression, recognizing that women’s experiences of gender vary according to their position in racial and class hierarchies (see Daly & Maher, 1998; Maher, 1997; Schwartz & Milovanovic, 1996; Simpson, 1991).
