What are the characteristics of male perpetrators of child maltreatment?
• Of all reported cases in the18-State data set, slightly less than one-half of all perpetrators were male. Of these, about one-half (51%) were biological fathers, an additional one-fifth occupied some other parental role (adoptive fathers, stepfathers, mothers’ boyfriends), and about one-quarter were in nonparental relationships (including relatives, foster parents, day care providers, or friends) to their victims. In comparison, among female perpetrators, 86 percent were biological mothers. • Male and female perpetrators were similar in terms of race. Males were slightly older than females, with an age difference of about 5 years, and men were substantially less likely to be in a caregiver status to the child than were women (60% compared with 87%).
