The U.S. juvenile justice system was not established solely to protect youth from abuses of the adult criminal justice system. Early juvenile courts became involved in monitoring and controlling all aspects of youthful behavior. Of particular concern to juvenile court founders was the moral behavior of youth, particularly female youth. Studies of early family court activities reveal that virtually all young females were charged with "immorality" or "waywardness." Sanctions for such misbehavior were extremely severe. Currently, juveniles in many countries can be taken into custody for a wide range of behaviors that are really not crimes, but rather violations of parental authority. These status offenses involve running away from home; being a person in need of supervision; and being incorrigible, truant, or in need of care and protection. An examination of official juvenile court populations in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Venezuela, India, and the United States indicates that females constituted 45 percent of all status offenders in 1982, while males constituted 80 percent of all other offender types. Despite these statistics, recent research on dimensions of delinquency does not confirm female dominance in the area of status offenses. One source of official bias against females comes from parents directly; many females have been taken into custody simply because their parents insist on their arrest. There is also growing awareness among those who work with female status offenders that a substantial number are the victims of physical and sexual abuse. The relabeling of status offender acts as crimes and the disintegration of political support for deinstitutionalization efforts indicate the need for increased international attention to the problem of sexism in juvenile justice. Differences in male and female juvenile offenders are examined in terms of diversion and the deinstitutionalization movement. 54 notes