Very little scientific research has been conducted on the nature of female involvement in drug selling in the United States. And, the limited amount of research conducted to date reveals striking inconsistencies regarding the nature and extent of female drug selling. This study seeks to advance basic knowledge about female drug selling, and address womens' roles within and between the formal and informal labor markets operating in inner cities. Focusing on two, inner city neighborhoods in New York City, the project explores the type of organizations they participate in, what they earn from participation, the role the drug economy plays with respect to individual and family resources, the nature and extent of dealing-related violence and victimization, and how selling fits into larger careers and lifestyles. To do this, the investigators conduct qualitative interviews with 150 female drug dealers. Purposive sampling is used to select and interview: 40 women who are active drug dealers in the community and have little criminal justice system contact; 30 recently arrested female drug dealers; 40 women in jail on drug convictions; and 40 women in state prison for drug sales. The life histories generated from these interviews and their contextualization in urban neighborhoods provide rich data on the adaptive strategies used by some marginalized women to gain economic footholds, and whether economic opportunities presented by drug selling are diverting women from the formal labor market. As such, this study represents the first systematic effort to explore the consequences of women's participation in drug dealing for family economics and other aspects of family life. Equally important, it provides an explanation of women's pathways into drug dealing based on the combination of situational factors (e.g., involvement in other crime networks) and structural factors (e.g., inner city labor market).
