University of Sussex
Browse
singlewomen.doc (121.5 kB)

Discourses of single women accused of murder: mid twentieth-century constructions of 'lesbians' and 'spinsters'

Download (121.5 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 12:48 authored by Lizzie SealLizzie Seal
This article examines gender representations of ‘single’ women accused of murder in mid twentieth-century England and Wales. Specifically, it identifies discourses of the ‘lesbian’ and the ‘spinster’ as they arose during the prosecution process. These discourses are outlined and placed within their wider socio-historical context. The appearance of different constructions of lesbianism and/or spinsterhood is analysed in relation to five women's cases, with reference to material from their case files. The examination of discourses of singleness reveals how it was often construed in the mid twentieth-century criminal justice system as connoting marginal, or deviant, gender identity in women. Single women did not fulfil contemporary norms of femininity relating to marriage and motherhood. However, representations of single women were frequently contested and contradictory, and in the cases under discussion also related to the type of killing the woman had carried out.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Women's Studies International Forum

ISSN

0277-5395

Publisher

Elsevier

Issue

3

Volume

32

Page range

209-218

Department affiliated with

  • Sociology and Criminology Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-11-09

Usage metrics

    University of Sussex (Publications)

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC