JEDDAH — Electronic equipment is a more popular target than gold and jewelry for women thieves, reported Makkah.
Electronics now occupy second place in the list of goods pilfered by women after cash money, according to a recent security study published by the Arabic-language daily on Monday.
The Naif Arab University for Security Studies in Riyadh released the study, titled “The Social and Economic Factors Behind Women's Thefts”.
The study was conducted by Amina Al-Anzi, a female researcher at the university, who surveyed a number of women prisoners in the notorious Al-Malaz prison in Riyadh.
According to the survey, financial need was the first reason for women's thefts followed by a need to take vengeance against men for whatever reason.
About 31.7 percent of the respondents said the bad financial management of their husbands drove them to steal.
“The irrational spending of men is one of the economic reasons behind thefts committed by women,” the study said.
According to the study, about 80 percent of the respondents said they did not have jobs to secure them with a stable income while 85 percent said their incomes were not sufficient enough to meet their needs.
About 80 percent of the women prisoners said they were being locked up for stealing because of poverty and need.
About 25 percent of those surveyed said their husbands did not meet their personal needs while 24 percent said they were attracted to the valuable consumer goods on display. About 58 percent said they were forced to steal to satisfy their children's needs.