Male-Female Differences in Delinquency in a Minority-Group Sample

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Abstract
This study employs multiple regression analysis with self-report data to assess two current theses concerning sex differences in delinquency: first, that the same etiological model serves to explain delinquency for males and females; and second, that sex affects delinquency in an indirect fashion through its prior influence on social relationships within the family and the school. These questions are addressed in an analysis estimating the additive and interactive effects of sex on each of four types of delinquency in a sample of black fifteen-year-olds from low-income families. Findings indicate that the significance of the sex effect and the manner in which sex operates to affect delinquency depend upon the type of delinquent outcome under investigation. The discussion focuses on the theoretical and research implications of these findings.