Notorious female offenders : an exploration of factors that increase the likelihood of women’s involvement in crime

Abstract

This dissertation explores female offending, focusing on the key factors that contribute to women’s involvement in criminal behaviour and seeks to address the underrepresentation of women in criminological research. Its aims is to develop a deeper understanding of how individual, relational, and structural factors interact to shape women’s pathways into crime and to inform gender-responsive criminal justice policies. The study adopts a qualitative, desk-based design, relying on primarily on the thematic analysis of media articles and other secondary data sources using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) and with findings organised according socio-ecological model. The findings show that female offending is strongly linked to trauma, particularly childhood abuse, economic disadvantage including poverty, unemployment, and limited educational opportunities, substance misuse and social marginalisation. These factors were found to interact over time, increasing vulnerability to offending behaviour. Overall, the dissertation concludes that female offending cannot be adequately explained through gender-neutral frameworks, as it reflects complex and interconnected pathways shaped by inequality and victimisation. It highlights the need for gender-responsive, trauma-informed policies and support systems aimed at prevention, rehabilitation, and reducing women’s involvement in the criminal justice system.