Why African-American Women Participated in or Resulted to Crime

    There were many reasons Black women committed crimes in the past. The biggest one was for socioeconomic reasons, especially in the early 20th century. Whether Black women received an education or not, it rarely increased their chances of getting hired in positions other than menial labor. They faced class, gender, race discrimination and were marginalized from the work industry. Participation in crime often allowed women to escape domestic work. The various crimes committed were often ones that presented money quickly and efficiently. This flow of money came in amounts big enough for women to establish and operate their own businesses. Many of these women used their ownership of establishments to pass employment on to other Black Women. For them it wasn't a matter of if what they were doing was a crime or not. It was a method of survival.