Seventeen hypotheses were tested concerning the similarities and differences between male and female chronic offenders. Female chronics were different from non-chronics in ways unique to their gender: they had higher levels of education and lower IQs, were more likely to come from broken families, had less family criminality, had experienced less spouse abuse, committed fewer violent crimes, and had fewer co-defendants. Chronic female offenders were similar to their male counterparts in that they tended to be younger and single at the time of first arrest, reported more problem psychoactive substance abuse, committed more serious offenses, were more often from minority groups, and committed their offenses alone. 5 tables and 38 references