Trends in Female Offending

Abstract

Historically, criminological research has focused primarily on male criminality, comparatively neglecting the nature of female crime and trends in female offending. Since the 1970s, however, female criminality has been a growing subject of inquiry, with findings indicating that females are committing more crimes than traditionally estimated. Indeed, in recent history there has been an increase in female arrest rates for certain offense types, leading researchers to analyze the trends in female offending more closely, and triangulating analyses with multiple data sources. Recent scholarship has acknowledged that the traditional gender gap is narrowing, although this may be attributed to a shift in behavior or a shift in policy. Nonetheless, recent trends in female offending have resulted in not only the expansion of research into offending patterns, but the extension and development of theoretical explanations of female criminality, ultimately resulting in a more nuanced understanding of both how patterns of female offending are changing and why women are seemingly committing more crime.