Gender Difference in White-collar Crime and the Importance of Gender Diversity

Edwin H. Sutherland, who served as the 29th President of the American Sociological Society delivered his lecture, “White-Collar Criminality,” at the organization\u27s annual meeting in December, 1939. He defined white-collar crime as, “a crime committed by a person of respectability and high status in the course of his occupation” (Sutherland, 1967; emphasis added). The gender-specific definition has since changed, but white-collar crime remains the same. Crimes committed by white-collar workers are typically non-violent crimes, ranging from accounting schemes which misinform auditors and investors about a company’s financial position, Ponzi schemes, and insider trading fraud involving large sums of money. Also included are wage theft, bribery, labor racketeering, embezzlement, cybercrime, copyright infringement, money laundering, identity theft, and forgery. These actions along with clear evidence of criminal intent and illicit financial gain qualify them as white-collar crimes. The demographic of white-collar criminals imply that offenders are “older, Caucasian, employed, and have a high school diploma or higher education. They also tend to be low in conscientiousness, agreeableness, and self-control” (Ragatz and Fremouw, 2010). One large and interesting factor that qualifies an action as a white-collar crime is the status of the individual who commits it. As stated in the definition, this must be someone, “of respectability and high status” (Sutherland, 1967). When analyzing gender roles within an organization, this high status requirement complicates identifying and analyzing white-collar crimes. As much advancement as women have made in the business workforce, there remains today several differences in positions held by males and females and what role they play in the organization. Among these differences is group size, occupational location, and use of organizational resources. The degree of involvement, motivation, and type of white-collar crime all differ among genders. Based on the gender differences within an organization, several studies show that men are more likely to be involved in white-collar crime. Although the gender roles within an organization clearly differ, there are several factors, both social and psychological that show gender differences in white collar crime and help explain why more males are involved in white-collar crimes. Increased representation of women in corporate settings, especially in high status positions, is necessary to diversify the social and psychological dynamic of the workplace, decreasing white collar crime