The life trajectories of women who sexually co-offend with their male partners
Although knowledge about female sexual offenders has become more extensive in recent years, information about women who sexually co-offend, who account for an important part of all female sexual offenders, is still sparse. The aim of the present study is to better understand the life trajectories of female sexual co-offenders. Using a grounded theory approach, systematic qualitative analyses were conducted on 17 interviews with female sexual co-offenders who had been incarcerated for sexual offenses in France. Our findings suggest that the majority of female sexual co-offenders had dysfunctional life histories and emotional, relational, financial, and educational issues. These vulnerability factors first emerged during childhood and then became more important as a result of later abusive and negative personal relationships.