Chapter 7 - Gender Comparisons of Offenders: Males and Females Who Sexually Offend Against Children

Abstract

Although child sexual abuse is the subject of a burgeoning scholarship, female-perpetrated sexual abuse remains underresearched. This chapter provides a synthesis of the differences and similarities across males and females who sexually abuse children. In addition to prevalence rates, the chapter discusses the case characteristics across male and female perpetrators, including offender age, relationship to victim, preference in victim gender and victim age, and type of sexual abuse perpetrated. It also provides an understanding of the different typologies and models that have been used to explain the perpetration of sexual abuse by males and females. The psychological impacts on victims and barriers to disclosure across male- and female-perpetrated sexual abuse are explored, before the chapter concludes with a discussion on public and professional perceptions across male- and female-perpetrated sexual abuse in terms of the perceived level of harm and severity inflicted.