Gender and Crime

The relationship between gender and crime is one of the most striking patterns in criminology. In every society for which data exists, men commit significantly more crime than women, particularly violent and serious crime. According to Ministry of Justice statistics, approximately 85% of those convicted of indictable offences in England and Wales are male. This consistent pattern — the gender gap in offending — demands sociological explanation.

Key Definition: The gender gap in crime refers to the well-documented finding that males are significantly more likely than females to commit criminal offences, especially violent and serious crimes.

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The Gender Gap: Key Statistics

Statistic	Detail
Proportion of prison population that is male	Approximately 95% in England and Wales
Most common offence for female offenders	Theft and handling stolen goods
Male vs. female violent crime	Men are responsible for approximately 88% of violent offences
Self-report studies	Confirm that the gender gap is real, though smaller than official statistics suggest
Trends	Female offending has increased slightly in recent decades, but the gender gap remains very large

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