Sexual Equality, Female Labor Force Participation and Female Crime: Testing Some Common Assumptions

This study measures the impact of sexual equality on the differences between male and female involvement in crime. The units of analysis were all 100 counties in North Carolina. Data for the dependent variable, male-female involvement in crime, were obtained from the North Carolina Police Information Network. The 1970 U.S. Census was the source of data on the control variables which consisted of population density, degree of urbanization, percent unemployed, percent nonwhite, percent of the population female, and female age structure. Analysis of the data indicates that sexual equality does not significantly reduce the male-female gap in criminal behavior. Female labor force participation, urbanization, and income level are more important factors. The counties with the lowest male-female crime differentiation are characterized by high female force participation, low urbanization, and a high income level. (Author/RM)