The Arrest Disparity between Adult Male Sex Offenders and Adult Female Sex Offenders Who Engage in the Sexual Act of Penetration with Underage Male

Increasing attention has focused in recent years on sex crimes perpetrated by females, which has led to more women being identified as sex offenders and ostensibly held to the same standard as males who commit sex crimes. This is particularly true with offenses related to the sexual abuse of underage males. Traditionally, a disparity has existed in the legal system's treatment of female and male sex offenses largely due to societal views that justify sex crimes perpetrated by females as harmless. This view leads to the underreporting of female-perpetrated offenses against underage males and contributes to less punitive measures taken against females in comparison to those taken against male offenders who commit the same crime. The purpose of this research study was to determine if an arrest disparity exists between male and female sex offenders who commit statutory rape against males. A chi-square test was performed to provide the data for this study after coding and isolating the relevant variables from the complete data set. Results supported the stated alternative hypothesis that male sexual perpetrators are more likely to be arrested for statutory rape against underage males than female sexual perpetrators. Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected.