A Qualitative Study of Convicted Female Child Sex Offenders: Examining Motivation and Attribution of Meaning

• In Event: Understanding Female Sexual Offenders

Abstract

There is a dearth of research examining female-perpetrated acts of child sexual abuse (CSA) from a social interactionist standpoint. A situational approach to violent events examines the interaction of social setting, interpersonal interactions during the offense, and the meaning offenders attribute to the offense.

Face to face interviews were conducted with 7 convicted female child sex offenders in order to uncover the subjective meanings that the offenders attribute to their involvement in acts of CSA. Using a phenomenological method, this study explores the ways in which the offenders organize the offending event, explain their motivations for committing acts of CSA, and the strategies they use to keep their offenses hidden from others.

Results confirm previous literature regarding the demographics and offense characteristics of female child sexual offenders. Furthermore, motivations reported by offenders suggest that reasons for committing sex offenses are often based on the need to please a male co-offender or are an attempt to escape reality. Reentry concerns were based on issues surrounding challenges securing housing and employment as well as regaining custody of their children post-release. These findings suggest the need for gender-specific treatment and also serve to inform interventions for child victims abused by female offenders.

Author

• Alexa Sardina, Indiana University