Gender-Related Identity Development of Women in Serious Trouble with the Law

• In Event: Identity, Life-Course Transitions, and Desistance

Abstract

When people communicate their life stories, they reveal their identities. Identity links the past to the present, and reflects the current self. This presentation considers the life stories that 120 women with extensive histories of criminal convictions communicated during in-depth interviews. Prior research has documented the life stories of varying samples of men, and to a lesser extent of women. In this presentation, we highlight the unique gendered aspects of the women's identity narratives, including how they frame their stories to present themselves as good people who overcame barriers or as individuals caught in a downward spiral, in which even good events turned to negative outcomes. We also consider the gendered aspects of women's future scripts of how they see themselves in the days and years to come. We conclude with a discussion of policy-relevant findings as well as the contributions to identity theories of desistance.

Authors

• Merry Morash, Michigan State University

• Rebecca Stone, Suffolk University