This article explores the complex pathways leading women in Iran to commit spousal homicide, situating these acts within intersecting layers of individual trauma, familial dysfunction, and systemic oppression. Guided by Feminist Pathways Theory and Gendered Victim Precipitation, the study challenges conventional victim-perpetrator binaries by highlighting how chronic abuse, constrained agency, and institutional failures shape women's violent responses. Based on qualitative analysis of 10 in-depth interviews with incarcerated women convicted of murdering their husbands, the research utilizes data collected inside an Iranian prison, where participants were identified via prison staff, and participation was voluntary, which introduces sampling constraints. Findings underscore how discriminatory legal, cultural, and political structures, particularly marriage and divorce laws, create conditions of entrapment, often turning these homicides into acts of survival rather than aggression. The article concludes by calling for structural reforms and a nuanced recognition of women's agency.
Although prior research has focused on criminal justice personnel's views of false rape allegations, the general public's perceptions remain understudied. This study examines how U.S. adults estimate the prevalence of false rape reports involving female victims and identifies the demographic and attitudinal factors associated with these estimates. In a national survey of 1,244 U.S. adults, respondents estimated that 15.7% of rape reports involving women were false, nearly 50% higher than estimates for men, and endorsed an average of three rape myths about women. Younger age, heterosexual orientation, residing in the South, and lower education predicted higher estimates of false reporting. Stronger rape myth acceptance, adherence to traditional gender role attitudes, and higher estimates of false reports involving men further predicted inflated estimates for women. Findings highlight how public skepticism may undermine victim credibility, reinforce rape myths, and shape responses to disclosure and reporting.
Technological advancements have surfaced as one of the most notable developments in global policing. Although studies have examined the impact of technology on many aspects of policing, the potential risks associated with technology utilization has received little research attention. Analyzing survey data from over 1,944 police officers in China, this study examines the relationships among perceived risks of using technologies, occupational stress, and turnover intentions. It also explores whether officers' gender moderates the connection between work stress and turnover intent and the linkage between perceived technological risks and turnover intention. We found perceived technological risk is directly linked to higher turnover intention. Officers with higher perceived technological risks also experienced more severe occupational stress, leading to a stronger turnover intent. Gender was found to moderate the relationship between occupational stress and turnover intention, with a stronger association observed among policemen than policewomen. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.
Despite high prevalence of mental health needs, research examining justice-involved women's (JIW) PTSD as a predictor of trajectories of (i.e., changes in) depression/anxiety is lacking. For 402 JIW in a longitudinal study, group-based trajectory modeling identified four patterns of change in depression/anxiety symptoms. Multinomial logistic regression showed that PTSD symptoms predicted assignment to the High Chronic and Recurring anxiety/depression groups, indicating acute need for mental health treatment for JIW with PTSD. Findings suggest that the Recurring group presents with declining symptoms followed by an increase. For this reason, it is vital to maintain mental health treatment after supervision ends.
This article explores the gender performances of women police officers in China, focusing on how they navigate femininity within the highly masculinized and culturally specific context of policing. Drawing on Schippers's framework of hegemonic, pariah, and alternative femininities, alongside the concept of face rooted in Chinese Confucian traditions, the study analyzes interviews with women officers to examine how gender is performed across different spatial and relational contexts. Findings reveal four distinct forms of femininity: hegemonic, pariah, alternative, and an additional form termed adaptive femininity. Women officers strategically shift between these femininities to negotiate workplace expectations, uphold family roles, and preserve both personal and institutional face. While some performances reinforce the existing gender order, others-particularly those aligned with alternative and adaptive femininities-create opportunities to subtly rework traditional norms. However, many officers continue to internalize hegemonic ideals due to longstanding patriarchal values and the pressures of cultural facework. This study contributes to the literature on professional femininities and women in policing by providing a nuanced understanding of how Chinese women officers actively and passively negotiate gender in a complex socio-cultural and institutional landscape.
There is little research on the impact of parental status on recidivism, especially for female probationers. This is problematic as motherhood can be both a stressor and motivator for successful completion of community-based supervision. Using data concerning female probationers in Michigan, we examine whether having children impacts rates of recidivism for female probationers compared to their non-parent peers. Parental status models also include other known factors of recidivism (e.g., age, race, level of education, mental illness, criminal history, substance use). The implications for female community supervision are discussed, as well as how additional data collection can help us better understand the relationship of motherhood on probationer recidivism.
This study explores justice-involved women with a history of recidivism in Indonesia, developing meaning on correctional skill development programs. Drawing on Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), this research explores the narratives of ten justice-involved women. Findings reveal four themes: (1) Reconstructing Identity and Building Cultural Capital, (2) Ambivalence Toward Skill Development Programs, (3) Limited Facilities and Feelings of Powerlessness, and (4) Shadow of Crisis and Post-Release Uncertainty. While some women find purpose, empowerment, and solidarity through the activities, others view them as institutional obligations and question their benefit. This study highlights the need for gender-responsive, socially supported, and contextually grounded rehabilitation.
This paper examines the daily struggles of incarcerated women in Zimbabwe's prisons during the postnatal period. It argues that women in this stage face unique challenges that are often overlooked in existing literature, emphasizing the need for tailored support to promote their well-being. Using ecological systems theory, the study offers a comprehensive framework for understanding these issues. Data collection involved six focus group discussions, each with four purposively sampled participants, and key informant interviews with a prison warden and nurse obtained through convenience sampling. Findings highlight systemic problems such as bureaucratic delays, shortages of medical supplies, and policy inconsistencies, which worsen the plight of postpartum women. The study urges Zimbabwe to adopt a human-rights-based, action-oriented approach to prison-based postnatal care. Recommendations include revising laws to ensure timely, dignified care, safeguarding confidentiality, and establishing dedicated weekly consultation schedules to improve access to health services for incarcerated mothers.
Research systematically documenting the profile of women sentenced to imprisonment remains limited, particularly when distinguishing between modalities of sentence enforcement. This study examines women sentenced in French-speaking Belgium between 2019 and 2021 (N = 1,048), who served their sentences either in prison (n = 523) or under electronic monitoring (n = 525). Drawing on a quantitative and systematic analysis of administrative records, it investigates their sociodemographic, social, and judicial characteristics, as well as the nature of the offenses leading to their conviction. The findings indicate that most women are over 30 years old, predominantly Belgian nationals and mothers. Many have prior criminal records and were sentenced to short custodial terms, primarily for property-related offenses, frequently committed as co-offenders. The data further highlight significant social and relational vulnerabilities, notably socioeconomic precariousness and fragile social ties. Moreover, significant differences across modes of sentence enforcement (particularly in terms of nationality, domestic violence, residential status and judicial profile) underscore the importance of considering this dimension into analyses of women's penal trajectories.
Reporting sexual violence to the police is key to an integrated service provision and to ensuring justice is served. However, though sexual violence is endemic globally, reporting of sexual violence remains suboptimal. This study explored factors and barriers to timely reporting of sexual violence among survivors from the perspective of frontline service providers. We used a semi-structured interview guide to interview twelve frontline service providers working in One Stop Center across five districts of Zambia. The interviewed service providers were nurses, police, paralegals, clinical officers, and counselors. Thematic analysis revealed themes around social contracts, sociocultural issues, physical conditions, psychological state, lack of knowledge, socioeconomic factors, and systemic issues as barriers to sexual violence reporting. Systematic and targeted interventions aimed at addressing these factors are key to increasing the reporting of sexual violence. These interventions have the potential to not only increase reporting but also prevent would-be offenders of sexual violence.
This research examines the drivers of female perpetrated partner homicide in Uganda, drawing on semi-structured interviews with twelve women incarcerated for killing a partner. The research took place in Kampala, Uganda. The findings reveal how women experience intersectioning forms of inequalities that permit and sustain gender-based violence, and are reinforced and replicated at different levels of society. Participants described being pressured to marry at a young age, then compelled to stay in the increasingly abusive situations due to outside tolerance for male perpetrated intimate partner violence and limited avenues of escape. Within this context, the research situates the female perpetrated murder as a strategy for survival in circumstances of prolonged abuse.
The increasing number of women imprisoned for drug-related crimes has drawn attention to their complex motivations and experiences. Based on in-depth interviews with 37 women imprisoned for drug offenses in a southern Chinese women's prison, this paper explores how they interpret their pathways into drug offending. The findings reveal that they construct their drug offending as their only, profitable, misjudged, or proactive option. Integrating discursive psychology with gender theory, the study advances a discursive-gendered framework for understanding female drug offending in China and highlights culturally specific strategies women use to negotiate responsibility, economic survival, and femininity within a punitive drug regime.
In recent decades, Israel's public sector diversity policy has encouraged the recruitment of Arab female police officers (FAPO), an indigenous national minority. Historically underrepresented in law enforcement, Arab women face complex challenges when entering the police, navigating tensions between professional, gender and ethno-national identities. This article explores organizational barriers faced by FAPO, using their experiences to examine how ethnicity, gender and employment intersect. While resistance from majority colleagues is expected in divided societies, the study highlights subtler intra-ethnic, intra-organizational resistance. A deeply masculinized perception of policing intensifies tensions between traditional gender norms and professional roles. Drawing on 27 semi-structured-interviews, this qualitative study employs thematic analysis to examine diversity resistance within the Israeli police. The analysis shows how FAPO encounter dual marginalization, negotiating challenges within both the organization and their own communities. The study contributes to understanding minority women's integration into public institutions in divided societies, with clear relevance for institutional diversity policy.
This study aims to create a theoretical model about stalking by exploring the experiences of women who are stalked by men in T & uuml;rkiye. A qualitative research design was employed to examine the experiences of these women throughout the stalking process. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine women aged between 19 and 38. Based on the interview data, four categories emerged within the themes of "Vicious Cycle of Stalking": "Stalker's Tactics", "Victim's Emotions", "Victim's Coping Strategies" and "Context". The findings revealed that there is a cyclical relationship between the tactics used by the stalker, the emotions experienced by the victims and the accompanying coping strategies. Moreover, the context influenced the onset, persistence, and cessation of stalking. The findings are discussed in the light of the literature and various recommendations are presented for practitioners and researchers.
Understanding gendered perceptions of terrorism risk is crucial for developing inclusive and effective urban security strategies. Men and women often experience, interpret, and respond to threats differently, shaping how terrorism is perceived and managed within society. This study explores how terrorism is perceived across genders in five major Pakistani cities: Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Multan. The findings reveal that while both genders commonly cite politics as a primary cause of terrorism, women are more likely to attribute it to foreign actors and socioeconomic challenges such as poverty and youth unemployment. Men more frequently blame the government and security agencies. Women are also slightly less likely to associate religion with terrorism. Notably, men exhibit more polarized perceptions of fear and risk likelihood, whereas women tend to report more balanced views. These patterns highlight the need for gender-sensitive urban planning and awareness campaigns that reflect how terrorism is perceived and experienced.
This study considers the gendered effects on prosecutorial decision making of defendants' hair color, which is the subject of pervasive stereotyping that can be directly linked to expectations about criminal justice treatment. After exploiting a unique combination of data from driver's license applications and the prosecutor's office case records in an urban southeastern county in the United States, the study finds that among White non-Hispanic defendants, blonde defendants are less likely to be convicted and incarcerated, and red-haired defendants are notably more likely, than defendants with brown hair. Observed effects are significantly stronger for women than men. Findings highlight physical appearance as a source of unwarranted disparity in prosecution, and emphasize both the importance and gendered nature of stereotyping in the criminal justice system.
