Female Gang Roles

This paper is going to be covering the topic of female gangs and their roles in society. An intriguing fact is because they’re females, many of these gangs are often overlooked (Hallcom, 1997). However throughout the years there has been an increase in the violence and death due to an increase in female gang activity. Sister gangs known as Hood Barbies, Billion Dolla Beauties, and Gun Clappin Divas have taken over Brooklyn, Manhattan and The Bronx (Hamilton, 2011). Aside with female gang activities, this paper will be examining the environments gang members are raised in, a female gang member’s role, reasons for joining, and any prevention available for these members to help escape the gang. In most cases, whether male or female, a gang member’s …show more content…
In many cases, the young women’s birth parents never married or there was a drug and alcohol abuse problem (Molidor, 1996). Prior patterns of sexual abuse early in the lifespan of gang members are also uncommon to hear. Dawn Brown from A Q&A about why more girls are joining gangs states a study showed that girls in the juvenile justice system and in gangs are seven times more likely to have a history of being victimized, usually sexual or physical abuse, than boys in gangs. For victims of abuse, joining a gang is an attainable, immediate form of self-empowerment (Diego, 2008). That is why the vast majority of these women flee from home: to feel accepted and supported by another “family”. They are looking for the love that is often missing in their households (Hayward and Honegger, 2014). However a home filled with abuse is not the only reason these young women leave their families behind. According to Francine Hallcom’s Gang Girls, many females often leave home due to problems with parents. Majority of times, the parent’s word is consistently tested by the gang-affiliated youth (Hallcom, …show more content…
In an independent gang, a female will consider her fellow members family, providing protection to those standing by her and expecting the same. In a coed gang a female will not only be used for sex, but also as bait. According to the National Crime Prevention Council, females are often sent out as spies to gather information and to plan for the next attack. Although female gangs are not as violent as male gangs, these young women are considered quite a threat to society. In fact, research by Hayward and Honegger (2014) states the number of active gang members in the United States is approximately 800,000. Of this, 50,000 members are