What dynamic of women are most likely to become involved in gangs? And why?
Gang membership in the United States has always been a problem for law enforcement. Each night you can turn on your television and all you will hear about is how may were shot dead the previous night. Males accounts for 92% of the current gang population while the other 8% are female. (Charlie, M. 2002) 8% may not seem like a lot, but when you get down to the numbers it is still a large number of females in gangs. The real question here is why? Why do so many females want to be affiliated with such a negative stigma, and then basically have the gang run their lives? The answer is simple. Negative home lives, broken relationships and the “you can depend on your homies” aspect is what attracts females to the gang life. (Hallcom, F., N.D.)
The first and most influential part to a female wanting to get involved with a gang is their home life, or lack thereof. Many women who are actively involved with gangs say “they come from a broken, dysfunctional and often abusive home” where they feel like they have no other choice left but to get involved. (Hallcom, F., 2011) Many times these females who are involved with gangs get started from a young age, typically as soon as they start to realize how bad things are at home and that they “need” help. However, many times they do not realize what they are getting themselves into.
The second deciding factor when it comes to gang membership for a female is that they often do not have close knit relationships at home, thus they feel the need to go make their own via joining a gang. This often stems from one family member to another. When more than one family member is in a gang it is almost expected of them to join when they enter their teen years. (Moore, J., Hagedorn, J. 2001) It’s just a lifestyle that is expected and accepted.
Finally, there’s a quote that says it all, “you can depend on your homies” (Hallcom, F. N.D.). Females often join gangs because when you enter a gang, it is a brotherhood, or in this case a sisterhood. There is a bond that once you are in can never be broken. Every other member of your gang will have your back no matter what. This is something that is very appealing to females who come from low socioeconomic status families, with few relationships and basically nothing to look forward to and no one to support them.
Gang membership in the United States has always been a problem for law enforcement. Each night you can turn on your television and all you will hear about is how may were shot dead the previous night. Males accounts for 92% of the current gang population while the other 8% are female. (Charlie, M. 2002) 8% may not seem like a lot, but when you get down to the numbers it is still a large number of females in gangs. The real question here is why? Why do so many females want to be affiliated with such a negative stigma, and then basically have the gang run their lives? The answer is simple. Negative home lives, broken relationships and the “you can depend on your homies” aspect is what attracts females to the gang life. (Hallcom, F., N.D.)
The first and most influential part to a female wanting to get involved with a gang is their home life, or lack thereof. Many women who are actively involved with gangs say “they come from a broken, dysfunctional and often abusive home” where they feel like they have no other choice left but to get involved. (Hallcom, F., 2011) Many times these females who are involved with gangs get started from a young age, typically as soon as they start to realize how bad things are at home and that they “need” help. However, many times they do not realize what they are getting themselves into.
The second deciding factor when it comes to gang membership for a female is that they often do not have close knit relationships at home, thus they feel the need to go make their own via joining a gang. This often stems from one family member to another. When more than one family member is in a gang it is almost expected of them to join when they enter their teen years. (Moore, J., Hagedorn, J. 2001) It’s just a lifestyle that is expected and accepted.
Finally, there’s a quote that says it all, “you can depend on your homies” (Hallcom, F. N.D.). Females often join gangs because when you enter a gang, it is a brotherhood, or in this case a sisterhood. There is a bond that once you are in can never be broken. Every other member of your gang will have your back no matter what. This is something that is very appealing to females who come from low socioeconomic status families, with few relationships and basically nothing to look forward to and no one to support them.