# Women Who Sexually Abuse Children – Results From an Anonymous Online Survey Among a Non-Forensic Female Sample With Sexual Interest in Children

## TL;DR

This study explores characteristics of women who sexually abuse children and have a sexual interest in children, finding they are often well-educated and not linked to childhood trauma.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into a non-forensic sample of women with a sexual interest in children and a history of child sexual abuse.

## Key findings

- Participants were mostly well-educated and had no reported childhood maltreatment.
- Most women committed offenses against children they knew, with motivations including sexual satisfaction and emotional closeness.
- The findings suggest these women may represent a distinct subtype compared to forensic samples of female offenders.

## Abstract

Knowledge is still rare regarding women who commit child sexual abuse (CSA), especially those who have a sexual interest in children. The present study aimed at assessing characteristics of CSA committed by women. We investigated self-report data from 23 German women from the general population who reported a sexual interest in children and previous acts of CSA. Results showed that participants were mostly well-educated with almost no reported childhood maltreatment. At first offence, participants were 25.22 years and children (65.2% female) were 5.30 years on average. 95.5% of participants were known or related to the child and all of them conducted at least one contact sexual offense. 87% stated they conducted the sexual acts for “sexual satisfaction”; 34.8% out of “love”; 30.4% for “physical closeness”; and 34.8% for “emotional closeness”. The results indicate that participants conduct the offence voluntarily and were not coerced by anyone else to engage in CSA. Our results might indicate that women who commit CSA and have a sexual interest in children may constitute a specific subtype that differs in several ways from forensic samples of women committing CSA examined in the past.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is often viewed as a crime perpetrated solely by men, but research indicates that women also commit CSA offenses, significantly affecting children’s health and wellbeing. Although research on women who sexually offend against children has increased over the past thirty years, it remains limited compared to studies on male perpetrators. Notably, to the authors’ knowledge, there have been no investigations of women who report sexual interest in children and CSA offenses.

The present study was done to better understand the nature of CSA perpetrated by women with sexual interest in children. The findings of this study are valuable as they inform the development of more effective interventions and prevention strategies for female individuals at risk of offending in the context of CSA.

We conducted an anonymous online survey with 23 German speaking women from the general population who reported having a sexual interest in children and reported previous sexual acts with children under the age of 14 years. The findings revealed that these women were mostly well-educated and rarely reported own adverse childhood experiences, which contradicts previous findings on women who have been convicted of CSA. On average, the women in our study were 25 years old at the time of their first offense, while the children affected were on average 5 years old, with 65% being female. Almost all of the participants knew the child or were related to them, and all reported having committed at least one sexual offense involving physical contact. The reasons they gave to explain their actions included seeking sexual satisfaction, feelings of love, desires for physical closeness, and emotional closeness. Our results further suggest that the participants acted voluntarily and were not pressured by anyone else to commit the crime.

Despite the limitations posed by the small sample size, the present results can contribute to a better understanding of women who commit sexual offenses against children. Our findings suggest that the current portrayal of women who engage in CSA may not fully capture the entire population of women who sexually offend against children, as it might overlook those who likely operate under the radar of criminal prosecution.

Our results contradict previous findings that women who have been convicted of CSA tend to have a low level of education.Our results are not in line with previous findings demonstrating that women who have been convicted of CSA tend to report their own childhood maltreatment.Our results confirm that sexual interest in children as a motive for sexually abusive acts against children seems to be also relevant in women.

Our results contradict previous findings that women who have been convicted of CSA tend to have a low level of education.

Our results are not in line with previous findings demonstrating that women who have been convicted of CSA tend to report their own childhood maltreatment.

Our results confirm that sexual interest in children as a motive for sexually abusive acts against children seems to be also relevant in women.