This work investigates the correlation between the changing social status of women in the mid-20th century and the shifting patterns of female criminal activity. Freda A. Adler, a prominent criminologist, utilizes sociological data and crime statistics from the 1970s to argue that the liberation of women from traditional domestic roles inadvertently provided greater opportunities for involvement in both white-collar and violent crime. The text posits that as gender roles become more egalitarian, female crime rates will increasingly mirror those of their male counterparts.

Criminologists frequently cite this text as a foundational, albeit controversial, contribution to the study of gender and crime. While modern scholars often debate the specific causal links proposed by Adler, the book remains a significant reference point for understanding the evolution of sociological perspectives on female criminality.