Gangs, Gender and Drug Sales: A Qualitative Study

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of this 42 month qualitative research project is to explore the contemporary relationship between gender, drug sales and gang organization among youth gangs in San Francisco. Specifically we will explore how both structural characteristics, such as gang composition, as well as relational processes, such as interactions and perceptions, influence the gendered nature of gangs and drug sales. By emphasizing the relational processes as well as the structural characteristics, we will be able to examine how male and female members operating within gang organizations negotiate status, roles, and relationships as drug sellers. In addition, we will investigate the differential risks and outcomes associated with selling for both men and women. We will focus on the following three research questions: 1. In what ways do the socio- demographic characteristics and social environment of gang members contribute to the gendered nature of gang organizations and drug selling? 2. What are the structural and relational elements of drug selling and gang organization? 3. How does the gendered organization of gangs and drug dealing differentially impact female and male gang members' economic, social and personal capital? We plan to locate and interview 270 gang members who are drug sellers, between the ages of 14 and 25, from different ethnic backgrounds and from different types of gang organizations including single gender gangs (all males or all females), mixed gender gangs, and associational gangs The sample will be divided into equal numbers of male and female respondents and into three primary ethnic groups (African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Latino). We will use primarily qualitative methods, including key-informant and in- depth interviewing, and interviews will include a structured questionnaire to gather socio-demographic and key quantitative data, and an open-ended, relatively unstructured schedule to provide detailed, in-depth, and rich narrative information. Analysis of the data will consist of mixed methods appropriate to the various types of data collected. This project is important for three reasons: 1) It will provide much needed empirical data on gender composition and gender participation in drug selling in the gang; 2) It will provide information on the socio- cultural processes within the gang that highlight gender relationships in the context of drug sales; 3) It will provide important information for prevention practitioners and law enforcement officials for designing alternatives to drug sales through legitimate employment opportunities, and to develop effective, culturally and gender relevant educational and intervention strategies against drug use and drug sales.