The study covers four States of Australia: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. The study takes data from all cases before magistrates' courts for each year 1900-75. Analysis is based on sex-specific crime rates per 100,000 population and proportions across sex. The volume of crime declined sharply in all States and across sex during the first two decades of the century. The current increase in the volume of crime shows a reverse pattern. While offenses against the person by both sexes have been increasing since the mid-1930's, the rate of increase for males has been much faster than the rate of increase for females in all States. Furthermore, the magnitude of the rate of change for males was far larger than for females. These findings are contrary to those of some recent studies. Data on relative participation show that the female to male ratio has been declining since the end of World War II and is the lowest in this century. Since the early 1950's, the volume of offenses against property by both sexes and in all States has continually increased. Except in the case of Western Australia, the rate of increase for females has been faster than for males only since the mid-1960's. In Western Australia, the female rate of increase has always been faster than that of males. The study suggests that the claim that there has been a substantial increase in the volume of crimes by females in recent years is somewhat tenuous. Tabular and graphic data are provided, and 49 footnotes are listed.