In this journal article, the authors present an evaluation of a variety of research addressing factors contributing to gender differences in the nature and extent of interpersonal violence. After arguing that there is a marked difference in males’ and females’ participation in serious acts of interpersonal violence, the authors describe this paper as an overview and evaluation of past research on female violence. Arguing that key precursors to violent offending are early family relationships and characteristics, psychological background, and victimization in later life, the authors maintain that examining the ways that gender modifies violence demonstrate gender differences across the board. Addressing the context of victim/offender relationships, the authors state that lethal and nonlethal violence involving women occurs in the context of family and intimate relationships, and female gang members are less involved in violent crime than are male gang members. Assessing changes in violence across time and space, the authors found that women’s risks of violent victimization have remained stable for decades with women’s lethal violence becoming more concentrated in later adolescent and early adult years. The authors conclude that although knowledge of gender differences in interpersonal violence has grown in the last two decades, the accumulated research still raises concerns about a lack of empirical findings in this area. References