Society marginalized women into gender roles, making it almost impossible for them to succeed. In society, women have been taught to become the puppets of a male master. Women in society were expected to follow the orders of their male counterparts. Some of the women who feel marginalized by society tend to create or join subcultural groups called gangs. The question remains: are female gang members used as disposable accessories in gangs or do they form their own gangs to break free from gender roles set by society? Girls in male gangs were seen as disposable accessories, but they changed the nature of a gang by creating all-female gangs, eliminating the dominant male figure. I believe that women's gangs have been misunderstood and are freeing themselves from the stereotypes imposed by society. Gangs are a group of people or an organization fighting for a goal. Gangs can have three or more members between the ages of 12 and 24 (Belknap, 2007). Some gangs may be unisex, all-male, or all-female. According to Belknap, many girls join gangs for four reasons: protection, family, escape and status. In early history, women were considered housewives; their expectations were not necessarily equal to those of men. Women have been placed in gender roles by society. Early gender roles included cooking, cleaning, caring for children, and becoming housewives. Male gang members accept and encourage gender roles. Fleury and Fernet discuss the view that gang members have crystallized gender roles. One young gang member interviewed said, “I don't like [my girlfriend] to come to the park with me. Because the girls who hang out in this park are not considered good girls... middle of paper ... the number of incarcerated women has tripled since the late 1980s, according to FBI uniform. Crime reports. While violent crime rates are decreasing nationally, female juvenile delinquency is increasing. The total number of criminal arrests of young girls increased 118 percent between 1987 and 1996... The percentage of women involved in gangs nationally is estimated between 10 and 15 percent; their ages range from 9 to 24 years” (2005, p.1). By this statement, Edwards is trying to say that girls form their own gangs and learn to engage in all kinds of crimes, just like men. equality in gangs, but their crime rates have increased significantly throughout the United States. Women became more violent, independent and dominant in their gangs. Past society may have viewed women in gangs as disposable accessories, but women have changed the nature of their gangs. the gangs.