Construction of gender in Swedish legal cases?

In this thesis the objective has been to identify differences in judgements between female and male offenders in legal cases about rape against children in Swedish courts. Female offenders are often seen as victims or mentally ill by judicial courts/institutions. By analyzing the cases from a theoretic perspective that gender is constructed by victimization the thesis will investigate how the offenders motivate their act. The thesis has investigated cases from 3 angles; the relationship with the child, the sexual act and their explanations to the committed crime/acts. There are some indications that construction of sex is identifiable. The relationship with the plaintiff in the cases is assumed from the feelings the child has towards the male offender, and when the offender is a woman it is assumed from her feelings and not the relationship with the child. Judgements with male offenders is more detailed with the sexual act and therefore also much more explained in the documents from the court. The female offender is often described as a vulnerable, manipulated or victimized and therefore given reason for not taking responsibilities for their acts. This is often used by the lawyer who represents the female offender