ABSTRACT
Today it would probably be considered that there is no room for myth in a society such as ours which is oriented to the development of science and technology. Myths are usually connected, in the minds of the western world, with traditional or perhaps medieval societies. However, women's studies have recently unearthed a multitude of popular beliefs, stereotypes and myths, ranging from ‘women can’t do mathematics’ through to the universality of the maternal instinct, which have had a profound effect on the socialisation of females in our society and on the opportunities that have been made available for women in the social sphere. Myths about women and their innate capacities have pervaded every aspect of society; they have effected and been perpetrated by many specific elements of our social organisation. This is as true of the legal order as it is of the education system. This paper aims to examine in detail the perpetration and maintenance of one of the most pervasive of myths relating to female crime — that female delinquency is predominantly sexual delinquency.
