 She who deceives: comparing women and men who commit occupational fraudJanice E. Goldstraw-White Chapter 10 in Research Handbook on Fraud and Society, 2026, pp 166-182 from Edward Elgar Publishing Abstract: Fraud is a crime deeply intertwined with trust and deception, but when the perpetrators are women, societal perceptions shift. This chapter explores the complexities of female fraudsters, challenging traditional gendered assumptions about crime. While fraud has historically been associated with male-dominated workspaces, the increasing presence of women in managerial and supervisory roles has revealed distinct patterns in financial crime perpetrated by women. Women tend to commit fraud gradually, leveraging trust-based relationships, whereas men often engage in high-risk, large-scale deception. Additionally, they rationalise their crimes differently from men, often citing situational pressures rather than strategic intent. These gendered differences impact both detection and prosecution, as stereotypes about female morality create oversight blind spots. By analysing existing research, this chapter argues for a reassessment of fraud prevention measures to acknowledge the reality of female perpetrators. Recognising these patterns is essential to mitigating financial crime without gender bias. Keywords: Fraud; Gender; White-collar crime; Financial crime; Motivation; Rationalisation techniques (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:24044_10 Ordering information: This item can be ordered from Access Statistics for this chapter More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing |
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