Why Female Youths Join Gangs :: Youth Gangs Essays

Why Female Youths Join GangsFemale youths join street bands on the basis of gender conflict, want of family support andviolence in their lives. Through adolescence young females have a much harder time than youngmales dealing with family, sexuality and the harsh reality of active in the urban ghetto. Youngfemales who must endure these facets of life have little opportunity to succeed. Consequently,these young women turn to a re go downment family, a place where they feel they atomic number 18 needed andloved and can escape reality, even if momentarily. This attribute of place is in the common streetgang. Presently, inner city minorities are hope slightly discriminated and isolated from economicopportunity. Young females see society as having nothing to offer young minority women.Neglected communities with high crime and a lack of resources force young females to turn toothers in the same situation for support. Thus, they develop an exaggerated sense of belongingand gain excitem ent lacking in their lives (Chesney-Lind 53).According to Thornberry there are three types of models that account for gangmembership survival model, social facilitation model and enhancement model. Femalemembership seems to fall into the selection model. The selection model states that gangs onlyrecruit or associate with already delinquent persons (Dukes, Martinez, Stein 143). In 1994females accounted for 24% of all juvenile arrests (Chesney-Lind 11). Also, female gangmembers show higher levels of delinquency than non gang members (Curry 12). However, theydo not necessarily influence members once in the gang. Such as many researchers have assembleonce in a gang, female members are not expected to involve themselves in delinquency.Recent estimates of female gang involvement have shown a tremendous increase infemale membership. These increases have become great enough to turn researchers attention tofemale gang members. Studies have shown that ten to xxx eight percent of gang membe rs arefemale (qtd. in Miller 431). Miller has recognized two different types of female gangs. First, the self-sustaining female gang. The independent female gang is completely separate of the male gang.The females make their own set of rules and have decision making powers. Millers studies haveshown that less than ten percent of female gangs are independent (qtd. in Chesney-Lind 46).Second, the auxiliary gang (qtd. in Curry 105). The auxiliary female gang is the most commonand one in which the females are separate from the males in the gang, but are still apart of thewhole gang. The males make all the decisions and essentially control the females. These type offemale gang groups are, an expression of the gender relations and boundaries of society (qtd.