The purpose of this essay is to examine issues and ideas regarding early stereotypes of women and crime, as in the mid to late 19th century there was a growing interest in trying to come up with some sort of explanation for why people committed crime, for example by looking at biological and psychological issues. It was here that women were not necessarily seen to commit crime, but during much of the late 19th century it came to light that women were associated with particular types of crime, chiefly including prostitution and cruelty to children, both of which they were considered contrary to their moral character within society. It was here that the issue surrounding the idea of ​​“baby-farming” and women committing these types of crimes emerged into the public sphere and caused a moral panic, and using child farming as an example to explore, it becomes much clearer about attitudes towards women and crime in this period. Men and women led very different lives, it was the idea that men belonged to the public sphere and women to the domestic sphere. It was a time when men went to work to generate income for the family, socialized and held political power, while women instead were confined to the home and left to raise children, as well as cook and clean. Although women's roles primarily revolved around the home, their duties were still important and considered crucial to society by the Victorians, as demonstrated by Martin Wiener who states that a wife's behavior and character became more crucial than ever to happiness and vitality. of the house. It was here, in the nineteenth century, that the feminine ideal was based on "Mary", the "divine guide, p...... middle of paper ...... for the rearing of children, both can be used to delve deeper into the issue. Firstly it is important to note here how these women were portrayed, this is shown through Anette Ballinger's description where she states that the overall image presented is that of a manipulative, cunning and deceitful woman, as it was these women who sinned against society and did not conform to the established standards. At the time it was mainly perceived that these baby farmers were women who came from uneducated and working class backgrounds, and here it could be argued that their processes and the final conclusion, that these women were not judged solely on the basis of their crimes but also on the basis of their conduct and behavior as women, since it could be said that these women were considered and judged on the basis of the way in which they had acted against the standards established by society for the ideal woman, therefore