Gender and Crime: An Empirical Test of General Strain Theory among Youth in Babol (A City in Northern Part of Iran)

Abstract

This paper presents an attempt to use Agnew's General Strain Theory ( GST) (1992) for explanation of the criminal behavior differences between young males and females in Babol, a city in northern part of Iran. General Strain Theory (GST) is essentially regarded as a set of ideas formulated to explain the occurrence of crime as a result of the strain in social life. This study explores the relationship between gender and criminal behavior among males and females. To achieve this aim it was used a theoretical model based on Agnew's general strain theory (GST) design and finally this casual model conceptualized and operationalized the variables. In this study the independent variable is gender. Data gathered from a sample of 140 young persons who lived in Babol. The findings indicate that there are significant differences between gender and crime.