Except we don’t know if that’s true or not. Many say this to justify treating men like potential monsters—or at the least not trusting them with their own kids—but we really don’t know if it’s true that most child sexual abuses are committed by men.

A well cited study that looked into this; conducted by Deborah Boroughs (2004), concluded that females make up about 25 percent of child sexual abusers (which is already 1 in 4, not a small number). However, she also said that this number could be higher since child sexual abuse perpetrated by women goes underreported. So we really don’t know how many women commit sex crimes against children. 

What we do know is female-perpetrated sexual abuse can be just as, if not, more harmful to a child’s psyche as male-perpetrated sexual abuse. According to research, victims of female-perpetrated sexual abuse were more likely to report: “suicidality, non-suicidal self-injury behavior, personality disorders, dissociative identity disorders, alcohol/ drug addiction, and schizophrenia.” While victims of male-perpetrated sexual abuse reported: “post-traumatic stress disorder, affective disorders, anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders, eating disorders, externalized disorders, and psychosomatic disorders.” So don’t pretend that FPSA isn’t as harmful to a child’s psyche as MPSA. Both forms of abuse can have devastating, long-lasting effects on a child’s mental health, development, and overall well-being.

Boroughs, Deborah. (2004). Female sexual abusers of children. Children and Youth Services Review. 26. 481-487. 10.1016/j.childyouth.2004.02.007.

Gerke, Jelena, et al. "Long-term mental health consequences of female- versus male-perpetrated child sexual abuse." Child Abuse & Neglect, vol. 143, 2023, pp. 106240. ISSN 0145-2134, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.10624.