THE TOTAL OF ALL INDICTABLE OFFENSES BY WOMEN IN ENGLAND AND WALES DOUBLED FROM 1965 TO 1975. FEMALE CRIME, PARTICULARLY VIOLENT CRIME, IS INCREASING AT A FASTER RATE THAN MALE CRIME. BUT SUCH STATEMENTS ARE MISLEADING -- THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF CRIMES BY WOMEN IS MINISCULE. FOR INSTANCE, MURDERS BY WOMEN INCREASED 500 PERCENT FROM 1965 TO 1975: IN 1965 THERE WAS ONE MURDER, AND IN 1975 THERE WERE FIVE. IT MUST ALSO BE REMEMBERED THAT DRAMATIC RISES IN FEMALE CRIME RATES ARE NOTHING NEW. SINCE 1935, EVERY DECADE EXCEPT 1946 TO 1955 HAS SEEN GREATER CRIME RATE INCREASES FOR WOMEN THAN FOR MEN, BUT THIS TREND WAS STRONGER FROM 1935 TO 1946 AND FROM 1955 TO 1965 THAN FROM 1965 TO 1975, THE YEARS DURING WHICH THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT IN BRITAIN WAS REVIVED. ANOTHER TELLING OBSERVATION IS THAT THE SEX RATIO OF OFFENDERS HAS REMAINED VIRTUALLY CONSTANT. THERE IS ALSO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT SELF-REPORT DELINQUENCY DATA ARE BEING DISTORTED, AND DO NOT REALLY INDICATE THAT GIRLS ARE COMMITTING MORE 'MASCULINE' TYPES OF OFFENSES. THE ARGUMENT THAT FEMALE EMANCIPATION IS CAUSING CHANGES IN FEMALE CRIMINALITY RESTS ON TWO PREMISES: THAT FEMALE CRIMINALITY IS CHANGING IN A WAY SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM MALE CRIMINALITY (THE IMPLICATION BEING THAT THE EXPLANATION FOR THE CHANGE MUST BE SOUGHT IN CONDITIONS APPLYING ONLY TO WOMEN), AND THAT INCREASED LEGITIMATE OPPORTUNITIES, PARTICULARLY JOB OPPORTUNITIES, BRING INCREASED ILLEGITIMATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN. THESE PREMISES IGNORE PROBLEMS WITH CRIME STATISTICS, WRONGLY ASSUME THAT FEMALE EMANCIPATION IS CONCERNED EXCLUSIVELY OR EVEN PRIMARILY WITH BETTER OCCUPATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN, AND DISREGARD EVIDENCE THAT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN, ESPECIALLY WORKING-CLASS AND MINORITY WOMEN, HAVE NOT REALLY IMPROVED. THE ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN APPARENT CHANGES AND INCREASES IN FEMALE CRIMINALITY IN RELATION TO THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT FAILS TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE MOVEMENT IS AN OUTCOME OF SOCIAL PROCESSES AND FORCES THAT MAY THEMSELVES BE MORE DIRECTLY RELATED TO CHANGES IN CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR THAN IS A SOCIAL MOVEMENT INTENT ON IMPROVING THE POSITION OF WOMEN IN SOCIETY. SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)