“It’s Not Just a Boys Club”—Exploring the Role of Female Offenders in Organised Criminal Groups Within Australia

Within the structure of organised criminal groups (OCGs), women were traditionally relegated to peripheral and support roles (e.g., mothers and partners), with men primarily engaged in serious forms of criminality. However, more recent research has highlighted the varied roles women occupy within OCGs, including as traffickers, recruiters, and strategic advisors. Within this growing field of research, the present study sought to explore the role of female offenders in OCGs within Australia through a gynocentric and intersectional lens. Drawing on a content analysis of 84 court judgement transcripts involving convicted female offenders between 2010 and 2024, this study centres women’s experiences within OCGs. The findings reveal that women occupy a spectrum of roles across a range of offences such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and fraud. Many offenders had histories of trauma, mental illness, and economic precarity, reflecting structural inequalities that shape pathways into criminality. The findings provide a preliminary understanding of female involvement within OCGs in Australia, including relational, survival-based, professional, entrepreneurial, and subordinate offenders. This study affirms the need for a gender-sensitive criminological framework that accounts for agency, coercion, and structural constraint. By focusing on the experience of women, the study contributes to a growing body of literature seeking to highlight the complexity and centrality of women’s roles within OCGs, while providing the groundwork for future studies.