Female delinquency in the emancipation era: A review of the literature

By the mid-1970s studies began to indicate that the era of women's emancipation had been accompanied by changes in the volume and character of female lawbreaking. In this paper, I critically review the growing literature that has attempted to measure and explain the alleged changes in female delinquency. I examine whether females have remained traditional in their delinquency patterns, whether the observed changes (if they exist at all) are real or the result of changing societal reactions, and whether female delinquents have been masculinized or in other ways influenced by the women's liberation movement or changing gender roles. I also review explanations of female delinquency that are derived from social control, power-control, strain, and subcultural theories. Finally, I argue that more attention needs to be given to understanding the role strain inherent in females' attempts to negotiate ambiguous or contradictory gender roles, and that the concept of role strain offers a promising explanation of contemporary patterns of female delinquency.Portions of this paper were adapted from R. J. Berger (Ed.), The Sociology of Juvenile Delinquency, Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1990 forthcoming.