Abstract
Utilizing data from a national study of missing children, this article compares family abductions perpetrated by men and women. Comparisons focus on the incidence, outcomes, and institutional responses to the abductions. Also, the relationship between the abductor and child(ren), harm to the child(ren), the use of concealment, and the characteristics of abductors and children are examined. Women perpetrated approximately one third of the abductions in the study. Female perpetrated abductions were more likely to involve concealment of the child, and were of longer duration. The relationship between these patterns and patterns of custody and societal expectations regarding parental roles of men and women are discussed. Broader implications for the understanding of female criminality are also explored.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agopian, M.W. 1981. Parental Child-Stealing. Lexingon, MA: D.C. Heath and Company.
Bachman, R. and L.E. Saltzman. 1996. Violence Against Women: Estimates from the Redesigned Survey. (Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report). Rockville, MD: U.S. Dept. of Justice. (NCJ No. 15438).
Browne, A. 1987. When Battered Women Kill. New York: The Free Press.
California Penal Code. 1976. Child Abduction. (Chap. 4, No. 2785.5, p. 91). St. Paul, MN: West.
Carmody, D.C. 1991. Parental Abductions in the Context of Legal, Familial, Social and Cultural Variables. Doctoral Dissertation, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH.
Fahn, M. 1992. “Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Disputes: Getting to the Truth of the Matter.” Women's Rights Law Reporter, 14(1): 123–143.
Faller, K.C. 1991. “Possible Explanations for Child Sexual Abuse in Divorce.” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 6(1): 86–91.
Finkelhor, D., G.T. Hotaling, and A. Sedlak. 1990. Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Thrownaway Children in America. First report: Numbers and characteristics. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice.
Fox, G.L. and R.F. Kelly. 1995. “Determinants of Child Custody Arrangements at Divorce.” Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57: 693–708.
Friedman, D. 1995. Towards a Structure of Indifference: The Social Origins of Maternal Custody. New York: Aldine de Gryter.
Geffner, R. and M.D. Pagelow. 1990. “Mediation and Child Custody Issues in Abusive Relationships.” Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 8: 151–159.
Girdner, L. 1993. “Parentally Abducted Children: Roadblocks to Recovery and Reunion.” Juvenile Justice, 1(1): 19–25.
Greif, G.L. and R.L. Hegar. (1993). When Parents Kidnap. New York: The Free Press.
Hart, B.J. (1992). State Codes on Domestic Violence: Analysis, Commentary, and Recommendations. Reno, NV: National Council of Family and Juvenile Court Judges. [Available from the publisher, University of Nevada, PO Box 8970, Reno, NV 89507].
Hopps, J.G. 1987. “Is No-fault without Fault?.” Social Work, 32: 3–4.
Lorber, J. 1989. “Dismantling Noah's Ark.” In B.J. Risman and P. Schwartz (eds.), Gender in Intimate Relationships: A Microstructural Approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Maguire, K. and A.L. Pastore (Eds.). 1998. Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics 1997. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC: USGPO.
Mason, M.A. and A. Quirk. 1997. “Are Mothers Losing Custody? Read my Lips: Trends in Judicial Decision-Making in Custody Disputes—1920, 1960, 1990, and 1995.” Family Law Quarterly, 31(2): 215–236.
Merry, S.E. 1990. Getting Justice and Getting Even: Legal Consciousness among Working-Class Americans. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Merry, S.E. and N. Milner. 1995. The Possibility of Popular Justice, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Newman, D. 1999. Sociology of Families. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
Pagelow, M.D. 1990. “Effects of Domestic Violence on Children and their Consequences for Custody and Visitation Agreements.” Mediation Quarterly, 7: 347–363.
Plass, P.S. 1998. “A Typology of Family Abduction Events.” Child Maltreatment, 3(3): 244–250.
Plass, P.S. and D.C. Carmody. 1994. Female Perpetrated Family Abduction Events. Paper presented at the meetings of the American Society of Criminology, Miami, Florida.
Plass, P.S., D. Finkelhor, and G.T. Hotaling. 1995. “Police Response to Family Abduction Episodes.” Crime and Delinquency, 41(2) Apr: 205–218.
Plass, P.S., D. Finkelhor, and G.T. Hotaling. 1996. “Factors Associated with Duration and Emotional Trauma to Children.” Youth and Society, 28(1) Sept: 109–130.
Plass, P.S., D. Finkelhor, and G.T. Hotaling. 1997. “Risk Factors for Family Abduction: Demographic and Family Interaction Characteristics.” Journal of Family Violence, 12(3) Sept: 333–348.
Polikoff, N.D. 1992. “Why are Mothers Losing: A Brief Analysis of Criteria used in Child Custody Determinations.” Women's Rights Law Reporter, 14(2–3) Spring/Fall: 175–184.
Rosen, L.N. and M. Etlin. 1996. The Hostage Child: Sex Abuse Allegations in Custody Disputes. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Saunders, D.G. 1988. “Other “Truths” about Domestic Violence: A Reply to McNeely and Robinson-Simpson.” Social Work, 33: 179–183.
Saunders, D.G. 1994. “Child Custody Decisions in Families Experiencing Woman Abuse.” Social Work, 39(1) Jan: 51–59.
Saunders, D.G. and A. Browne. 1991. “Domestic Homicide.” In R.T. Ammerman and M. Hersen (Eds.), Case Studies in Family Violence (pp. 379–402). New York: Plenum Press.
Scoon-Rogers, L. and G.H. Lester. 1995. Child Support for Custodial Mothers and Fathers: 1991. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P60-187. Washington, D.C.: USGPO.
Sedlak, A., L. Mohadjer, J. McFarland, and V. Hudock. 1990. National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Thrownaway Children: Household Methodology Report. Rockville, MD: Westat, Inc.
Snell, T.L. and D.C. Morton. 1994. Women in Prison. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, D.C.: NCJ 145321.
Steffensmeier, D.E. and E. Allan. 1988. “Sex Disparities in Arrests by Residence, Race, and Age: An Assessment of the Gender Convergence/Crime Hypothesis.” Justice Quarterly, 5: 53–80.
Stets, J. and M.A. Straus. 1990. “Gender Differences in Reporting Marital Violence and its Medical and Psychological Consequences. In M.A. Straus and R.J. Gelles (Eds.), Physical Violence in American Families: Risk Factors and Adaptations to Violence in 8,145 Families (pp. 151–165). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.
Straus, M.A. 1983. “Ordinary Violence, Child Abuse, and Wife-Beating: What do they have in Common?” In D. Finkelhor, R.J. Gelles, G.T. Hotaling, and M.A. Straus (Eds.), The Dark Side of Families: Current Family Violence Research (pp. 213–234). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Tennessee Criminal Code. 1998. Custodial Interference. Chap. 13, Part 3, No. 39-13-306. St. Paul, MN: West.
Thoennes, N. and P. Tjaden. 1990. “The Extent, Nature and Validity of Sexual Abuse Allegations in Custody/Visitation Disputes.” Child Abuse and Neglect, 14: 151–163.
Thompson, L. and A.J. Walker. 1989. “Gender in Families: Women and Men in Marriage, Work, and Parenthood.” Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51: 845–871.
Walker, L.E. 1993. “The Battered Women Syndrome as a Psychological Consequence of Abuse.” In R.J. Gelles and D.R. Loseke (Eds.), Current Controversies on Family Violence (pp. 133–153). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Wauchope, B.A. and M.A. Straus. 1990. “Age, Gender and Class Differences in Physical Punishment and Physical Abuse of American Children.” In M.A. Straus and R.J. Gelles (Eds.), Physical Violence in American Families: Risk Factors and Adaptations to Violence in 8,145 Families (pp. 133–148). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Some of the data in this paper were presented at the annual meetings of the American Society of Criminology in Miami, Florida in November, 1994.
Her research focuses on domestic violence, rape, and media images of crime.
Her research interests are in the areas of the criminal victimization of children and adolescents, domestic violence, and corrections.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Carmody, D.C., Plass, P.S. Family abductions: An examination of the role of offender gender. Gend. Issues 18, 58–73 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-000-0011-4
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-000-0011-4