Female Gangs

Joining a gang is a significant, potentially life-altering, event. The reasons for any single juvenile’s joining a gang are complex and personal. Though most females join gangs for friendship and self-affirmation. "Female gang members are characterized as being wild, hedonistic, irrational, amoral, and violent" (see Chesney-Lind, 1993). There are two basic types of female gang organization. The first and most common type of girl gang is based on their affiliation. These are usually described as "auxiliary" or "satellite" groups, and are an expression of the gender relations and boundaries of society. The other group is the independent one, where the females establish their own rules and is not subordinate to other male gangs.