NCJ Number
207899
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 32 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2004 Pages: 593-606
Date Published
November 2004
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This Canadian study provided new empirical evidence related to the hypothesis that there has been a convergence between the percentages of males and females committing certain offenses over time.
Abstract
The data were collected from the CANSIM II databank of Statistics Canada (2002). This data set covered the period from 1983 to 2000 and provided annual time-series information on the number of adult males and adult females charged with various types of offenses in Canada. The statistical methodology used to measure convergence was based on the techniques proposed by Bernard and Durlauf (1995) in the context of testing for convergence in economic growth with time-series data. One of the primary findings of this study was more support for the gender-convergence hypothesis than might have been expected given the results of previous studies. The narrowing of the gender gap over time was due to increases in charges against females rather than decreases in charges against males. When charges against both males and females declined in number, the number for males declined faster than those for females. Additional research is required to determine the extent to which this convergence between statistics on male and female offenses reflects a change in female criminal behavior compared with changes in the practices and policies of law enforcement agencies. 4 tables, 3 figures, 12 notes, 41 references, and appended definitions of variables and tests for convergence