ABSTRACT
The general objective of the study
was to describe the extent and type of female involvement in crime and analyse the
type of crimes in which women have been most visible. A total of 23
questionnaires were distributed to respondents (inmates.) The location of the
study was . The units of response were the
female inmates in
prisons. This was because the female inmates were in a better position to
furnish the researcher with the information needed on the socio-economic
correlation of female criminality in Nigeria. The result of the study
showed that women in
state committed crimes traditionally attributed to women in the literature,
such as stealing and fighting. There were indications that women were getting
involved in traditional male crimes such as armed robbery and attempted murder
and some actually committed murder. The findings showed that even though female
criminality was on the increase, a comparison of the ender distribution of
prisoners showed that they were very much underrepresented in the criminal
population of the state.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction
1.1
Statement of the problem
1.2
Growth of female criminality
1.3
Objectives of the study
1.4
significance of the study
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.0 General overview
2.1 Perception
of crime
2.2 Gender and
criminality
2.3 Growth in
female crime
2.4 Theoretical
framework
2.5 Appraisal
of literature reviewed
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
3.1
Research location
3.2
Method of data collection
3.4 The population
and the sample
3.5 Problems
encountered
3.6
Limitations of the study
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION
4.0 Introduction
CHAPTER
FIVE
SUMMARY,
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMEDATION
5.1
Summary
5.2
Conclusion
5.3 Recommendations
Bibliography
Questionnaire
CHAPTER
ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Traditionally, it has been argued that there has
been so little research interested in the area of female criminality due to the
fact that the number of females offenders have been so small and insignificant.
But statistics alone is not sufficient to explain why female offenders are not
treated as a social problem, (Smart Carol, 1976). If women are for some reasons
less prone to participate in deviant activities than men, there is hardly a
reason to omit them from consideration (Giddens 1997).
The non-challant attitudes towards the
investigation of female criminality could be that the male gender has always
been associated with criminal acts.
Male criminals such as terrorists, drug users etc
are treated as rational, autonomous adults who have reasons for engaging in
deviant or anti-social activities. Thus, a female thief is mentally unbalanced
or her chemistry is disturbed or her husband made her to do it (Delmont 1980).
However,
recent researchers like Giddens, Datesman, and Scarpiti have shown that women
also commit criminal acts. Most of what we know about crime is based on
prosecutions and convictions and it is not impossible that women commit large
number of crimes for which they are not persecuted or convicted.
1.1
STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
Female criminality and delinquency are becoming
more serious and more of a threat to the social order in Nigeria. The rate at which women
are involved in criminal activities makes one stop to wonder what is really
happening to the women folk.
Women are known to occupy the natural position in
inculcating moral values in children, but with the rising trend in involvement
of women in criminal activities, one is left to wonder the kind of future
generation we will have as the engagement of the women is criminal activities
makes them fail in carrying out their roles as the guardians of morality in our
society.
For example, what would a mother with criminal
tendencies do to her children or wards who indulge in criminal activities,
since she is into it herself? Of course she’ll not see anything bad in what the
children or wards do, thus crime permeates the whole society.
1.2 GROWTH OF FEMALE CRIMINALITY
According to
Hauwau E. Yusuf, (2002) The general socio-economic condition that
nurtured the increase in crime rates generally in the post independence era
equally have the necessary impetus for the growth of female criminality in the
country. Prior to that and amongst other factors, the difficulty in securing
farmland in the rural areas brought about the migration of women to the urban
centers. However, with the oil boom; this took a new dimension. It could be
recalled that this phenomenon induced the expansion of the urban wage sector.
The doubling of urban areas in the space of few years seemed to offer women
more opportunities and hope for a better future. In addition to this, increased
money in circulation in the urban areas have woman with no formal education the
opportunity to take out a living form trading. What is more, expansion of
infrastructure and the need for more manpower in the oil dominated economy
resulted in women, who had formal education finding some employment in both the
public and private sectors as clerical workers, secretaries, nurses and
teachers. They even found their way into jobs which were exclusively male
preserved such as lawyers, journalists, administrators, university teachers
etc. (Oloruntimein, 1982). These increased opportunities, though still low when
compared with those of men, contributed to the growth of female criminality.
Inspite of this, it must be stressed that women formed a large chunk of
temporary workers and are the first to be laid off in times of economic crisis
and refreshment. Majority of them are employed in the service sector (both
public and private), with only a minority employed in the manufacturing
industry like pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food processing companies. They
equally man the pumps at petrol stations, sorting of mails in post offices,
cooking and serving the food at restaurants. (Hauwau E. Yusuf, 2002)
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The general objective of the study was to
describe the extend and type of female involvement in crime and analyse the
types of crime in which women have been most visible. Specifically the study
tried to:-
i.
Determine the socio-economic
attributes of women in crime.
ii.
Identify factor predisposing women to
criminality
iii.
access if there is discernible
pattern in the type of crime committed by women.
iv.
Make recommendation on the reduction
or elimination of female criminality.
1.4 Significance of the Study
The importance of the study is to redirect the
line of explanation of female criminality. One does not need to be a feminist to assert that we live in a male
dominated world. This is even more so far African were the image of the male still loom large in
perception of issues, action and even the nature and type of research to be
conducted. There is no saying that apart from most researches being male
influenced, they are equally male dominated, with issue relating to women
relegated to the background or taking a second place after those of the men.
However, even in the
advance and industrialization nation of the world most especially in , until
recently, very little had been written about female offenders. What is more,
fewer degree of advancement in education and intellectual development such
nations are just focusing their search lit on involvement of female in crime,
then for underdeveloped (developing countries like Nigeria, one would expect
that such effort is also in its
formative stage. Therefore, a research of nature is justified in other to fill
the obvious gap in the attention paid to female criminality particularly in
relation to the available current literature and how the prevailing condition
in the society could lead to female criminality.(Hauwau E.Yusuf,2002).