Stability and change in girls' delinquency and the gender gap: Trends in violence and alcohol offending across multiple sources of evidence

Females commit much less crime and delinquency than males for nearly every category of crime. The gender gap in offending is larger for more serious and violent offenses and narrower for minor behaviors. These are among the most robust and consistent findings in criminology. In recent years, however, the extent and character of gender differences in crime are increasingly being called in question by statistics and media reports suggesting a greater involvement of girls in the criminal justice system.