Girls and Gangs : Gendered Contexts, Gendered Consequences
Gangs are often assumed to be a largely male phenomenon – almost emblematic of male defiance. However the best available data suggest that at least one quarter of the youth in gangs are girls. This article reviews the gendered theoretical legacy of traditional gang research and suggests that it is necessary to look at gangs through the lens of gendered pathways research and Black feminist criminology. It then explores the contexts that lead girls to gang membership, focusing on research that intentionally considers gender and race. Critical to this discussion of girls in gangs is the role of victimization, particularly sexual victimization, in both causes and consequences of girls’ involvements with such groups. Other themes that emerge are the key roles that family tension and disunity play in girls joining gangs, the role that girl’s relationships with gang members play in their choice to join gangs, the role that substance abuse plays (and the ways this uniquely exposes girls to risk for victimization), and finally the ways that deteriorated schools and violent neighborhoods tend to push girls into gangs.