Three explanations of female-female aggression drawn from feminist evolutionary positions are described and tested using a Massachusetts statewide criminal data base: (1) Female-female aggression is diminished where state benefits provide a source of resource provision as an alternative to dependence upon males (reflected in a negative correlation with AFDC); (2) Female-female aggression indicates competition for resource-rich males (reflected in a positive correlation with female biased sex-ratios and high male unemployment); (3) Female-female aggression is a function of female destitution that results in economic dependence upon males (reflected in a positive correlation with female unemployment and AFDC receipt). Multiple regression analysis of the female-female assault rate onto ecological measures of sex ratio, unemployment, and welfare receipt supports this last hypothesis. The authors discuss how the feminization of poverty carries implications not only for property crime (as emphasized by mainstream feminist theory), but also for assault.
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