NCJ Number
131688
Journal
Criminology Volume: 29 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1991) Pages: 115-135
Date Published
1991
Length
21 pages
Annotation
During the past decade, criminological research has targeted gender as an important discriminator of criminal participation and persistence.
Abstract
Yet, the research question too often contrasts the criminality of males and females without taking into account key differences among female populations. In this paper, race and class combine to produce uniquely situated populations of females (e.g., "underclass" black females) who, when compared with their gender and racial counterparts, also appear to have unique patterns of criminality. Using the extant literature, black female violent crime is juxtaposed against that of white females and black males in order to show how crime varies across groups and the potential sources of those differences. Three theoretical perspectives (neo-Marxian, power-control, and socialist-feminist theory) are reviewed and evaluated for their intragender/racial inclusivity. Directions for further empirical research and theoretical development are suggested. 19 notes and 91 references (Publisher's abstract)