Sex differences in altruism shown in offenders : are female offenders more altruistic than male offenders?

One of the key aims of this thesis is to discover if female offenders are more altruistic in their offending than male offenders. The purpose of this thesis is also to provide a theoretical background on the notions altruism and egoism-defining the similarities and differences between them. Another purpose is to measure and compare levels of altruism among male and female offenders. The final purpose of the research is to either prove or disprove the notion that female offenders are more altruistic than male offenders. It was found that the female group committed fewer egoistic offences and more neutral offences than the male group. The male group was also more egoistic in their offending when the specific criteria were calculated. Having children also had a stronger impact on female offending than the male offending, making it less egoistic in nature. In regards to the levels of altruism and egoism, the male group scored significantly higher than the female group in both objective and subjective egoism. In contrast, the female group scored higher in altruism and neutrality. However, the impact of having children on the levels of altruism and egoism were mixed-with an increase of egoism and a decrease in neutrality in the female group. It was also found that more of the female group were motivated by altruism than the male group. It was also possible for female offenders to be motivated by altruism and necessity simultaneously. However, this does not mean that women are always offended for altruistic reasons, just as males do not always offend for egoistic reasons.