Sex, Power, and the Violent School Girl

Andrea Levan is an associate professor and co-ordinator of the Women’s
Studies Program at Thorneloe College, Laurentian University.

Unlike a number of recent books that have sensationalized the topic of
violent behavior in girls, this book gives a thoughtful and sensitive
treatment of the issue. It begins with an excellent review of the
literature on women’s criminality, pointing out how much of it has
been tainted by stereotypical preconceptions about the nature of women.
Artz finds that a recent focus on the importance of gender in shaping
girls’ experiences and understanding of themselves offers fruitful
explanations of their violent behavior. The author also reviews the
results of a survey of more than 1500 British Columbia teenagers, which
she and her colleague undertook in 1994. The survey verifies an increase
in violent behavior by young girls and explores the reasons for it.

The bulk of the text comprises six case studies of violent girls in
their early teens whom Artz interviewed. These studies offer a
fascinating picture of lives in which violent behavior has become
routine and normalized. Although the girls came from a range of family
situations, including several where the parents were in long-term
marriages, it was clear to Artz that they all modeled their behavior on
patterns of violent and abusive behavior in their own homes.
Interestingly, many of the parents were unable to recognize these
patterns, and were most likely to attribute the problem to generalized
violence in teenage culture. Most of the girls had experiences of sexual
violence.

The author presents a picture of her subjects that is both sympathetic
and unsentimentalized. Sex, Power, and the Violent School Girl is a
thorough and engaging examination of the subject.