ABSTRACT
Gang membership has attracted female gang members who have a history of abuse and has abused them further. There are exceptions, but generally gang life for female members continues to pattern itself after an exploitive pattern of male chauvinism rather than providing genuine equal opportunity across gender lines. There were few female members in high command, but it remained a male-dominated business. The chapter examined the main research findings from a number of researchers who have contributed to the literature on female gang members and female gangs. A troubled and at-risk family, social and economic profile emerged for the background of female gang members. They were likely to be marginalized by the dual effects of urban poverty and being a racial minority and therefore subject to various forms of racism. They typically enter the gang abused, and become more abused inside gang life.
