“In 2007, it was estimated that there were more than 150,000 female gang members in the United States, representing approximately 10 percent of all gang members. Current descriptions of gang members suggest that they typically lack formal education, have violent experiences in their schools, have severely dysfunctional home lives, and have experienced social problems including poverty, drug addiction, and gang violence. . Membership in female gangs also often depends on the person's ethnic or racial status. Another factor is the lack of appropriate interventions, diversion, and treatment alternatives available for girls compared to men” (Champion, Merlo, & Benekos, 2013). Female offenders are indeed involved in gang-related activities, but their behavior differs from that of men. According to Champion, Merlo, and Benekos, 2013, “profiling of female gang members has been limited, in part because of their inaccessibility by researchers. . In neighborhoods with high crime rates and social disorganization, about 32 percent of men and 29 percent of women report belonging to a gang. In these high-risk areas, girls are increasingly involved in gang activities and affiliations.” However, girls who join gangs, those who join male gangs, are more likely to engage in violent behavior and participate in delinquent activities. According to Zahn (2008), some data indicates that “girls' gang involvement lasts shorter” than that of boys and peaks around the age of 14 to 15. Partly because of their smaller numbers, women's gangs are less likely to be the subject of law enforcement efforts. An active gang member is a teenage or young adult woman who identifies as spending a lot of time on the streets.... ... middle of paper ...... participating in gang activities allows them to 'act as outlets, relay messages and remain undetected and often ignored. a search for identity and a search for social interaction and belonging. Women who were involved in gangs early in life presented a depressing picture of violence, parental criminality, and fatherless homes (Fleisher, 1995, 1998; Miller, 2001). When women joined a gang, they joined a network of friends. Depending on intersecting gang networks and age, propensity for violence, involvement in crime, young street girls would experience different stages of male influence. Conclusion Female offenders are indeed involved in gang-related activities, but the manner in which their behavior differs from that of male gang members.