A quantitative analysis of female crime trends in Gauteng, South Africa

The numbers of incarcerated female offenders in South Africa remains statistically insignificant compared to their male counterparts. This may be one of the main reasons why the subject of female criminality in Africa and Southern Africa in particular is still a neglected research focus area. Despite the fact that the extent of female offending behaviour compares statistically insignificant compared to those of men, the number of women incarcerated in South Africa, as elsewhere in the world, has increased over the past number of years. The current study is an exploration of the profile and criminal involvement of a convenience sample of incarcerated female offenders, who volunteered to be part of the study, in two correctional centres in Gauteng, South Africa. Gauteng contains the largest portion of the sentenced female offender population and is also the main economic region, as well as the most densely populated area in South Africa.