Evolution, evidence, and impact of the feminist pathways perspective

The gender gap in offending - that males have historically been and continue to remain responsible for a larger share of crime than females - is widely accepted as fact. Kathleen Daly's influential pathways to crime perspective developed amidst this debate. This chapter first discusses Daly's original study, which emerged within the broader debate between mainstream and feminist criminologists that began in the mid-1970s. Our coverage of Daly's study focuses on methodology and major findings. The chapter then traces the evolution of the pathways perspective to more contemporary interpretations of the model. This discussion includes an evaluation of the quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodology evidence on Daly's framework. The chapter concludes with an overview of the implications of the pathways model for correctional assessment, treatment, and policy and directions for future research.