Female Criminality: Is “Women's Lib” to Blame?

Abstract

This study examined the idea that the rise in female criminality in America may be a function of recent changes in women's roles and attitudes, as influenced by the Women's Liberation Movement. 25 female criminals and 25 non-criminals were given the Attitude Towards Women Scale, Open Subordination to Women Scale, and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Mf Scale. Analysis indicated that female criminals perceived themselves as being less than traditionally feminine in a world where women should conform to their stereotypically defined roles and behaviors in opposition to what “Women's Lib” would suggest. The opposite was true for the non-criminal females. That it is possible the increase in criminality among females may be accounted for by the increase in arrests and convictions of women was discussed.