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The Male : Female Ratio Among the Siblings of Delinquents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

R. V. G. Clarke  and
P. Softley
R. V. G. Clarke
Affiliation:
Home Office Research Unit, Romney House, Marsham Street, London, S.W.1
P. Softley
Affiliation:
Home Office Research Unit, Romney House, Marsham Street, London, S.W.1
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Extract

Those interested in the family backgrounds of delinquents have paid a good deal of attention to family size and position in family (see Mannheim, 1965, for a review), but little to the ratio of brothers to sisters. This is surprising, since it can be argued that boys who come from families with a preponderance of brothers may be particularly at risk of delinquency; for example, their parents might find it difficult to control them; they might be more likely to play out on the streets and thus have greater opportunities for delinquency; and, since delinquency is a predominantly male activity, they might have a greater chance of being set a bad example through the behaviour of their brothers.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 126 , Issue 3 , March 1975 , pp. 249 - 251
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1975 

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