part 2

Sallie's motives and behavior can be explained by various theories and risk factors. The gender equality hypothesis suggests that as women gain more rights and freedoms, they may start acting more like men and commit more crimes. The social learning theory states that differences in how boys and girls are socialized contribute to the types of crimes they commit. The gender role theory focuses on societal roles influenced by socialization. Sallie's upbringing as a tomboy and her military training with men could have influenced her behavior. Gender inequality and lack of resources may also have played a role. The power control theory suggests that girls are less likely to commit crimes if there is a woman in a position of authority in their household, which was not the case for Sallie. Risk factors in Sallie's life include experiencing physical abuse, witnessing violence in her family, and having parents with alcohol abuse issues. Sallie's limited economic opportunities and her personal In terms of what may have played a role in Sallie's motives and behavior, there are a few theories or hypotheses as well as risk factors that are important to consider. First, we'll start with what Steffens, Meyer, and Allen refer to in their 1996 study as the gender equality hypothesis. This is the idea that as women gain more rights and freedoms, and as their societal and gender roles become more like those of men, they are likely to begin acting more like men and therefore commit more crimes. This hypothesis didn't become popular until the 70s and has continued to be used to counter gender equality and female liberation. Two other pretty similar theories that may tie into this case are the social learning theory and the gender role theory. The social learning theory states that differences in the ways boys and girls are socialized growing up play a role in the amount of and types of crimes committed by each gender. The gender role theory focuses on the roles people play in society as a result of this socialization. Sallie had always been a tomboy and competed in a number of sports in high school, often being the only girl on her team. She was later in the Marines training with hundreds of men. Women in the Marines in the early 1900s were not allowed to do the same things as men and were not allowed to serve in battle. Women were not a permanent part of the U.S. Marines until the late 1940s, less than 40 years prior to Sallie joining. While the number of women serving continues to grow in all branches of the U.S. military, the Marines continues to have the lowest rates of women in their branch. It could be argued that Sallie committed her crime because she was given these more masculine opportunities in her life and therefore her societal and gender roles morphed to be like those of her male counterparts. One could also argue the inverse of this in that gender inequality played a role. It could be said that because Sallie is a woman, she had a lack of resources available to her and therefore this lack of resources pushed her to commit the crime. Another theory is Hagen et al.'s power control theory. This suggests that girls are less likely to commit crimes and break rules if their family has the woman as the head of the household or has a woman in a position of authority similar to that of the man in their household. This was not the case for Sallie or her family and we can assume that her mother was not in a position of authority as both her first and second husbands were abusive towards her. In terms of risk factors present in Sallie's life that may have influenced her behaviors and led to her crime, there were quite a few. Sallie was a victim of physical abuse as a child and in her adult life. She was exposed to violence in her family by seeing her mother and full siblings get abused as well. Her parents had issues with alcohol abuse and at least her stepfather had harsh disciplinary practices. Sallie had somewhat limited economic opportunities, though better than many others in her community at the time, as she was not able to finish college. Other things that may have motivated Sallie to kill Ray are the abuse she endured from Ray, the fact that she did have PTSD, or she could have been motivated by jealousy as Ray had cheated on her multiple times and had been in a three-year relationship with another woman who he was planning to leave Sallie for at the time of his death. There are numerous theories and risk factors to look at when considering the case of Sallie McNeil.