Female criminality: in search of gender specificity

Female criminality in its specific aspects remains understudied in France to date, despite providing valuable insight into criminal mechanisms and the factors that drive individuals to commit crimes. The aim of this study was to identify the characteristics of female criminality through a transdisciplinary approach combining historical, statistical, sociological, and psychiatric perspectives. This analysis makes it possible to define three specific characteristics of female criminality: overall underrepresentation that has remained stable over time, a specific focus on people rather than property, and an upward trend. The question of the origins of this female "acriminality" is also debated from a sociological perspective. Finally, the psychiatric approach, supported by several clinical interviews, confirms an increased risk of violent behavior, higher than in men, in cases of psychiatric comorbidity. Let us hope that this convergence of objective elements in favor of specific female criminality attests to the relevance of this question and encourages further research...