SOCIAL INEQUALITIES AND FEMALE CRIMINALITY: AN ANALYSIS OF VULNERABILITY AS A RISK FACTOR AND THE ROLE OF PUBLIC POLICIES

Abstract

This academic paper aims to address the effects and influence of social inequalities on female criminality, emphasizing socioeconomic vulnerability—arising from gender-based discrimination—as a risk factor. The research was conducted using a qualitative, bibliographic, and exploratory approach, seeking to investigate how the markers of gender, race, and class intersect to create conditions of social exclusion and marginalization, disproportionately affecting women, especially those living in poverty. Throughout the study, it was observed that the feminization of poverty is closely linked to the overload of domestic and family responsibilities and exclusion from the formal labor market. This scenario has contributed to an increase in women's involvement in illicit activities, particularly drug trafficking, as a means of generating income. The study also highlights the selectivity of the criminal justice system, which operates with a discriminatory bias rooted in sexist principles, punishing women who transgress with greater severity, as they are perceived by society and the State as violating not only criminal norms but also the traditional social roles assigned to women. In the results and discussion, the reviewed literature demonstrates that female criminality is tied to a structural context of multiple vulnerabilities stemming from social inequalities. It is concluded that, in order to overcome this reality, it is essential to develop intersectional public policies aimed at promoting gender equity, combating poverty, and reconstructing a penal model that acknowledges the specific conditions of incarcerated women.