THE FORMAL AND INFORMAL INFLUENCES OF THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT IN AMERICA SINCE THE 1960'S HAVE CHANGED THE SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS OF MULTITUDES OF WOMEN, SUCH THAT THEIR PERCEPTION OF THEIR NEEDS, MEANS OF SELF-GRATIFICATION, SOCIOECONOMIC ROLES, AND PATTERNS OF RELATIONSHIP WITH MEN ARE NO LONGER DERIVED FROM CONCEPTS OF A MALE-DOMINATED CULTURE. MALE AND FEMALE NEEDS FOR INDEPENDENCE, ECONOMIC AND OCCUPATIONAL ADVANCEMENT, COMMUNITY STATUS, AND THE EXERCISE OF POWER TEND NOW TO BE VIEWED AS COMMON NEEDS OF THE HUMAN BEING RATHER THAN THE SPECIAL PROVINCE OF THE MALE. THESE EMERGING ATTITUDES OF AND ABOUT WOMEN HAVE ALSO AFFECTED FEMALE CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. THE RATE OF INCREASE FOR MAJOR CRIMES FOR WOMEN IS SURPASSING THAT FOR MALES. A COMPARISON OF CRIME FIGURES FOR 1960 AND 1972 SHOWS AN INCREASE IN THE RATE OF FEMALE CRIME IN EVERY CATERGORY BUT MURDER. IN THE CRIMES OF FORGERY, COUNTERFEITING, FRAUD, AND EMBEZZLEMENT, THERE HAS BEEN AN 80 TO 100 PERCENT INCREASE OVER THE TWELVE YEAR PERIOD. THE SIMPLEST AND MOST ACCURATE WAY TO GRASP THE ESSENCE OF WOMEN'S CHANGING PATTERNS IS TO DISCARD DATED NOTIONS OF FEMININITY. IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS, WOMEN CRIMINALS ARE HUMAN BEINGS WHO HAVE BASIC NEEDS, ABILITIES, AND OPPORTUNITIES, AND WITH THE EXPANDED OPPORTUNITIES AND ALTERNATIVE BEHAVIORS UNFOLDING FOR WOMEN, IT CAN BE EXPECTED THAT FEMALE DEVIANT ACQUISITIVE, MANIPULATIVE, AND IMPASSIONED BEHAVIOR WILL MORE AND MORE PARALLEL THAT OF MEN. INCREASINGLY, SEX DIFFERENCES ARE NOT OF PRIME IMPORTANCE IN UNDERSTANDING FEMALE CRIMINALITY. REFERENCES ARE FOOTNOTED. (RCB)