Public Perception of Female Sex Co-Offenders: Implications for Convictions and Sentencing
Date of Conferral
11-6-2023
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Andrea Goldstein
Abstract
Female-perpetrated sex offenses are on the rise, despite rampant underreporting and harsher legal treatment of male sex offenders (MSOs) than female sex offenders (FSOs). Previous researchers have posited that these discrepancies are due to the prevalence of gender role expectations in the United States. Using the theory of ambivalent sexism, this study explored the impact of co-offending dynamics on public perception of sex offenders, measured by the convictions and sentences assigned by 451 survey participants (recruited via social media) to each offense group: solo male sex offenders (MSOs), solo female sex offenders (FSOs), male/female co-offending pairs (MFCoM and MFCoF), and female/female co-offending pairs (FFCo). Results reflected higher conviction rates for MFCoFs than FSOs, and longer sentences for MSOs than FSOs, MFCoFs than FSOs, MFCoMs than MFCoFs, and MFCoFs than FFCos. MSOs received the highest sentences, followed in order by MFCoMs, MFCoFs, FSOs, and FFCos. This suggests that perception of female offenders was overall more favorable than that of male offenders, and that perceptions of female offenders were diminished with the presence of a male offender. Additionally, the co-offending dynamic alone did not impact public perception, as shown by the scores assigned to the FFCo offenders. Awareness of these differences is essential in ensuring that the court system is working as intended, keeping the legal actions just and fair, as well as simply reminding the public that gender biases are at work in ambiguous ways. Future research may focus more on recruiting a more diverse sample and include a qualitative element to further explore closely held biases. Findings may be used by the court system for positive social change to better serve the public.
Recommended Citation
Gerwitz, Rebekah, "Public Perception of Female Sex Co-Offenders: Implications for Convictions and Sentencing" (2023). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 15077.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/15077
