Women, Men and Gangs: The Social Construction of Gender in the Barrio (From Female Gangs in America: Essays on Girls, Gangs and Gender, P 232-244, 1999, Meda Chesny-Lind and John M. Hagedorn, eds. -- See NCJ-184395)

• NCJ Number: 184404
• Author(s): Edwardo Luis Portillos
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 13 pages
• Sale Source: Lake View Press
• Publication Format: Book (Hardbound)
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This chapter examines how gender is constructed distinctly for men and women in some gangs in Phoenix, AZ.

Abstract

The chapter draws attention to the way in which young Chicanas/os and Mexicanas/os are viewed as criminals because of the color of their skin, the clothes they choose to wear and the neighborhoods in which they reside. It also examines the tensions felt by young women as they move between fighting and nurturing norms and expectations. Hoping to escape the gendered and marginalized experiences in their homes and schools, some young women move into gangs in which they can maintain a sense of control over their lives. The gendered expectations found in the gang are different from those in the family, because in the gang women are allowed to use drugs, have sex and become involved in delinquent and antisocial behavior. Nevertheless, this behavior is subordinated for young women in a way that it is not for young men. To understand these gender differences in the gang, the chapter focuses on how gender is constructed for men and women. This includes permitting young women to have sex with one gang member at a time, as long as they are clearly in a romantic relationship, and expecting young women to construct a femininity that serves the purposes of the gang.