Inequality as a Pathway to Women’s Criminalization: Socioeconomic Disparities and Pre-Incarceration Experiences in South Africa

South Africa remains the most unequal country globally, with extreme disparities in wealth and opportunity disproportionately affecting women. Rooted in colonialism, apartheid, and systemic marginalization, these inequalities shape women’s pathways into crime and incarceration. Drawing on participatory arts-based research workshops and interviews with 29 incarcerated women, this study examines how unemployment, gender inequality, and lack of education contribute to women’s criminalization. The findings reveal that many women offend as a means of survival amid economic hardship, exploitative labor, and limited education. Entanglement in abusive relationships with men further pushes women into criminal activities. Yet, the justice system overlooks these structural realities, favoring punitive approaches that perpetuate inequality. By centering women’s lived experiences, this study expands global scholarship on women’s criminology and justice discourses, arguing that addressing inequality, not punishment, is essential to breaking the cycle of women’s criminalization and incarceration in South Africa and beyond.