Women Who Embezzle or Defraud: A Study of Convicted Felons (Praeger Special Studies in Social Welfare)
by Dorothy Zietz
Category: Embezzlement

This study was originally designed to determine whether the generalizations about male embezzlers made by Cressey in 'Other People's Money' (1953) would also apply to women. Later the study was expanded to include an exploration of characteristics of women who were convicted of similar property offenses, such as fraud, forgery, and grand theft. A study of a sample of inmates at the California Institute for Women identified four different systems of behavior among 'honest' women (i.e. those who did not intend to steal) who embezzled: (1) the obsessive protectors, (2) romantic dreamers, (3) greedy opportunists, and (4) victims of pressure or persuasion. Women who intended to steal or defraud were categorized as vindictive self-servers, asocial entrepreneurs, and reluctant offenders. Findings appear to indicate that typologies developed by Cressey and others based on male samples are not wholly applicable to women. There are similarities and differences in the problems faced by men and women who violate financial trust and in their rationalizations to justify their criminal behavior. More extensive research is needed to determine whether these findings can be considered valid for a larger group of women.