Female Delinquency: An Application of Self and Opportunity Theories

Abstract

Since most theories of delinquency explicitly or implicitly deal with males, most of the research bearing upon these theories has concerned males with very little attention given to females. The intent of this paper is to apply to females two delinquency theories which have been found empirically useful in explaining male delinquency: self and opportunity theories. The data show that delinquency and self-concept are related for black females but unrelated for white females. Weak empirical support is found for the contention that repeated delinquency among females is not buttressed by subcultural support. It is found that both black and white female delinquents regard their opportunities less positively than do their non-delinquent counterparts, and that perceptions of opportunity are lowest among public policy offenders. It is suggested that the sexual behavior implied by public policy offenses may represent an attempt to fulfill the marital goal or, conversely, a rejection of it.