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Abstract
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This article describes a clinical sample of 40 women who sexually abused 63 children. Sixty percent of the female perpetrators victimized two or more children. Almost three-fourths of these women sexually maltreated children in polyincestuous family situations. More than four-fifths were mothers to at least one of their victims. The most common form of sexual activity was group sex; the next most common was fondling. The mean age of these women was a little over 26; they were poor and poorly educated. Their victims were also young, having a mean age of 6.4 years at the time the case was identified. About two-thirds of the victims were female and one-third were male. Female perpetrators evidenced marked difficulties in psychological and social functioning. About half had mental problems, both retardation and psychotic illness. More than half had chemical dependency problems, and close to three-fourths had maltreated their victims in other ways in addition to the sexual abuse.
VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The major aim of this article by Faller was to examine the attributes of women who sexually abuse children.
METHODOLOGY:
The author conducted a primary analysis of quasi-experimental, cross-sectional data on 40 female perpetrators of child sexual abuse and 63 child victims. The study was conducted at the University of Michigan Interdisciplinary Project on Child Abuse and Neglect (IPCAN) between 1978 and 1987. 82.5% of the subjects were Michigan residents and 17.5% were Ontario residents. 29 female perpetrators were county-based child protection referrals, 4 cases were referred by mental health agencies, 4 cases were obtained from the courts and 3 cases were self-referrals by adults victimized as children by women. The author stated that this was a clinical sample.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The author examined demographic variables. 95% (N=38) of female perpetrators were white, 2 were African-American. The mean age of the female perpetrators was 26.1 (SD=6.5). Ages ranged from 13-47 yrs. More than 75% of female perpetrators were between 20-30 years of age. 82.5% (N=33) of female perpetrators were classified lower SES; 17.5% (N=7) were reported to be middle-class citizens. 65% (N=26) of the women had not completed high school. 12 (30%) had finished high school, 5 women continued into higher education and for 2 subjects, educational accomplishment was unknown. Of the 63 victims of child sexual abuse by female perpetrators, 59 (93.7%) were Caucasian and 4 were African-American. 23 (36.5%) were male and 40 (63.5%) of the victims were female. The author found that 75% of the victims were between ages 4-6 and 7-10. Few were older than 10. The author noted that compared with male offenders, female perpetrators abuse younger children. However, in polyincestuous family situations the mean age of the victims of male perpetrators was noted as 6.9 yrs.
The author discussed the sexually abusive relationships between the perpetrators and victims. Areas discussed were multiple victimization, victim to perpetrator relationships, sexually abusive risk contexts, and types of sexual behaviors of the female perpetrators.
The author found that of the 40 female perpetrators, 24 (60%) had victimized 2 or more children. 34 (85%) of the female perpetrators were mothers to one of their victims, 22 (55%) of the mothers abused only their children and the remainder of the sample abused their children and others. Two of the perpetrators had also abused their grandchildren. For those perpetrators who did not sexually abuse their own children, the perpetrators were the victims' father's girlfriend (2 cases), the victim's grandmother (1 case), the victim's sister (1 case), the babysitter (1 case) and the victim's sister and neighbor (1 case).
The author classified the types of sexual abuse into five separate categories. These included: A) Polyincestuous abuse where abuse involves multiple sexually abusive relationships (group sex) with children in the same family. 29 (72.5%) of the women perpetrators in this sample fell into this category. Males were reported to have generally instigated the abuse. These men were fathers, stepfathers and the abusers boyfriends or grandfathers. 24% of the victims in the sample reported that the men played leadership roles in the abuse. The author reported that 46 men, compared with 29 women, sexually abused children in polyincestuous family situations. It was noted that 72.5% of the sample of female perpetrators was comprised of polyincestuous women. The author stated that this supports the notion that women are vulnerable to sexually abusing children when in polyincestuous situations. B) Single Parent Abuse. The author found that 6 (15%) of the female perpetrators were single parents of both male and female victims. C) Psychotic Abusers. 3 (7.5%) of the female abusers were found to be psychotic. The author noted that the low number of psychotic abusers did not lend support to clinical assertions that those who sexually abuse were psychotic at the time. D) Adolescent Perpetrators. 3 (7.5%) of female perpetrators were adolescents. The author stated that these adolescents lacked sexual alternatives and peer relationships were problematic. Sexual gratification was sought by these adolescents by abusing children. E) Non-Custodial Abusers. One non-custodial mother was found to have victimized her children. The author stated that most non-custodial parents were men, therefore suggesting that women were not less vulnerable to sexually abusing children. The most common types of sexual abuse listed by the author were group sex (N=28), fondling (N=24) and oral sex (N=20).
The author described psychological and social functioning of female perpetrators. 47.5% (19) of the women were reported as having had mental difficulties, 13 (32.5%) were mentally retarded, and 7 (17.5%) had suffered from psychosis. The author found that 22 (55%) of female perpetrators were substance abusers. Alcohol abuse was greatest (13 cases) followed by drug dependency (6 cases) and both drugs and alcohol (3 cases). Statements from protective services records, female perpetrators, victims and family members revealed that 29 (72.5%) of the women also physically neglected, or physically or emotionally abused their victims. For 11 (27.5%) of the women perpetrators, sexual abuse was the only form of maltreatment. Childhood sexual abuse was evident for 19 (47.5%) of the women in this sample.
The author concluded that a small proportion of the sexual abusers were women. Polyincestuous family situations appeared to be contexts in which women were most at risk to perpetrate child sexual abuse. The author stated that the results of this study should not be used to suggest that women abuse their own children more often than they abuse other children. Even though 80% of the perpetrators were mothers of their victims, this was more reflective of the referral source. Only four cases of abuse were disguised as personal care behavior. The higher percentage of female than male victims supported previous research.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
The author suggested that to better understand this topic, further investigations needed to be conducted.
(CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
Adult Violence
Adult Female
Adult Offender
Child Abuse Offender
Sexual Assault Offender
Child Molester
Female Offender
Female Violence
Child Sexual Abuse Offender
Domestic Violence Offender
Mother Offender
Parent Offender
Incest Offender
Offender Characteristics
Juvenile Female
Juvenile Offender
Juvenile Violence
Language: en |