1. Female Offending
Frequency and Nature

2. Gender Related vs. Gender
Neutral
O Gender Related: More likely to be committed
by either sex.
O Gender Neutral: Equally likely to be committed
by either sex.

3. Crime Rates
O Gender Stability: Male and female rates rise and
fall the same.
O Gender Divergence: Increasing differences
between men and women.
O Gender Convergence: The gaps between men
and women decrease and their rates are
becoming similar.

4. Who Chooses What Crime?
1. Violent Offenses
2. Shoplifting
3. Rape
4. Sex Work

5. Extent of Female Offending
O Sources:
1. Arrest records
2. Victimization reports
3. Self-reports

6. UCR Trends 1980-2000
1. Males and females arrest rates are up for less
seriousoffenses.
2. The highest rise larceny, fraud, substance abuse,
misdemeanor assaults.
3. Prostitutionis chief form of offending for women.

7. NCVS Findings
1. Percentage of female offenders is the same since
the 1970s.
2. Women: 10% of robberies, 14% of aggravated
assaults,and 20% of misdemeanor assaults.

8. Source Dependent
O Regardless of measurement, males offend 5 to
10 times higher than females.
O Official/police statistics indicate that the gender
gap is closing.
O Self report indicates that the gender gap is
stable or diverging.

9. O Majority of all offenses are male-
gender related.
O Prostitution and running away are
two female gender related offenses.
O Two offenses, embezzlement and
fraud, are gender neutral.

10. Liberation Hypothesis:
O Posits that as women gain equality their crimes will
mirror those committed by men.
O Does it hold up?
O Gender Stability is the norm.
O Any pattern over time is relatively stable.
O Female and male rates rise and fall together.

11. Girls and Gangs
O Why do girls join gangs?
O Are gangs homogeneous or heterogeneous?
O Influential factors

12. Girls and Gangs
O Traditionally viewed as accessories or auxiliaries.
O Their role was to serve as sex objects and
provide alibis for male gang members.
O It was a widely held belief that gang violence
was perpetrated solely by males.

13. Robbery and Burglary
O Gender related
O Gender differences exist.
1. Females more likely to work with males
2. Females more likely to be drug addicts
3. Males start at an earlier age.
4. Males commit more.
5. Males enter the system at an earlier age.

14. Drug Use and Selling
O Women and girls are more likely to be
introduced by husbands and boyfriends.
O Men and boys are more likely to be introduced
by male friends.
O Women are more likely to exchange sex and
companionship for drugs with a dealer or other
users.

15. Drug Use and Selling
O Both males and females often begin using drugs
out of curiosity and thrill seeking
O Continued use, though differ, where females are
less likely to continue for thrill seeking.
O Crack for males: masculinity
O Crack for females: acting out

16. Drug Use and Selling
O Selling drugs, though is that it is much tougher
for women to break into the market, except for
marijuana.
O Crack selling excludes women
O Both are involved in manufacturing and selling
methamphetamine.

17. Nonlethal and Lethal Child Abuse
O Long considered a female-related offense.
O National studies indicate that men and women are
equally likely to kill their children and stepchildren.
O Mothers are more likely to kill very young children.
O Males are more likely to kill children over 8.

18. Homicide
O Men commit the vast majority of homicides.
O Women are more likely to kill their current or
former husbands or boyfriends.
O Males are more likely to kill another male

19. Implications
O Arrest trends from 1965-2000
indicate gender stability.
O Differences related to
--policy changes,
--worsening economic position of
women,
--changes in data collection.