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A THIRD of all convictions for women are for TV licence non payment

81 replies

dianebrewster · 29/11/2020 15:49

I found this totally mind-boggling and totally shocking

"TV licence fee evasion accounts for nearly a third of women's convictions, official figures have revealed, prompting calls for its decriminalisation and warnings that the BBC could be guilty of "indirect gender discrimination".

An increasing proportion of women are being landed with criminal records for non-payment of the fee and are nearly 10 times more likely to be convicted for it than men, according to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data published on Thursday."

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/11/26/third-female-convictions-uk-due-tv-licence-fee-evasion-moj-stats/

OP posts:
midgebabe · 29/11/2020 16:06

I amnt thinking that the crime should be erased, I am interested in understanding why this occurs.

Are women more likely to be struggling for cash?
Are they more likely to be taken to court?
Is it just that women commit so few crimes that this type of offence is just about the only wrong thing women do?
Is there a systematic bias in the system that is revealed by this fact?

I didn't manage to read the article, I think I need to sign up to do so

PlanDeRaccordement · 29/11/2020 16:02

I don’t like the logic behind it. That simply because women are ten times more likely than men to commit a certain crime, then that crime should be erased. Where would it end? Men are more than ten times more likely than women to be convicted of a long list of minor crimes like harassment, upskirting, urinating in public, indecent exposure, etc...but we’d never say that it’s discriminatory to have these as criminal offences. Not paying the TV license is in essence a type of theft and should stay a crime. If you can’t pay for the license, then don’t watch live TV or BBC iplayer.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 29/11/2020 15:56

I remember reading about this in Marie Claire when I was a teenager in the 90s.

Aesopfable · 29/11/2020 15:56

BBC could be guilty of "indirect gender discrimination".

That would be a surprise. Hmm

midgebabe · 29/11/2020 15:55

Does it give any reason why?

Ereshkigalangcleg · 29/11/2020 15:54

There's no such thing as "indirect gender discrimination" in law. They mean "indirect sex discrimination" under the EA 2010.

But yes, women have always been pursued for TV licence fee fines more and are more likely to receive a custodial sentence for it. This should not be a custodial matter.