The literature is examined from five theoretical perspectives: social control, power control, strain, subcultural, and feminist theories. The author concludes that overall existing research does not support the contention that gender-based theories are unnecessary, although strain and subculture theory may require less gender specificity than social control theory. Power-control theory and feminist theory are explicitly concerned with issues of gender. More attention should be given, as feminists have suggested, to understanding the interconnection between female victimization and delinquency. Feminist theory in particular suggests that the phenomenon of female delinquency cannot be adequately addressed without modifying the social conditions that maintain gender inequality. Feminists have also suggested the significance of nurturing parental role modeling in producing prosocial behaviors in both girls and boys. The positive attributes of traditional "feminine" traits have often been ignored or trivialized in conventional criminology, as girls' willingness to conform to the law has been devalued relative to boys' willingness to flaunt the law. Moreover, contrary to claims that women's emancipation has led to increased female delinquency, studies have suggested that "liberated" females may be less delinquent than their counterparts. 8 notes and 80 references