New Analysis Suggests Psychopathic Traits in Women May Be Far More Common Than Previously Believed.
A new examination of gender differences in psychopathy is challenging long-standing assumptions within the field. Researcher Clive Boddy is drawing renewed attention to the fact that women have been historically underrepresented in psychopathy studies—often, he argues, because assessors may hesitate to apply the “psychopath” label to women due to social expectations or institutional bias.
Traditional estimates have long suggested a 10-to-1 ratio of male to female psychopaths. But Boddy’s use of the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRP) appears to disrupt that narrative, indicating that psychopathic traits may be distributed far more evenly between men and women. He notes, however, that larger and more comprehensive studies are still needed to confirm this pattern.
Speaking ahead of his presentation at the Cambridge Festival, Boddy highlighted that while around 1% of men meet the full clinical threshold for psychopathy, a much wider share—approximately 23%—exhibit enough psychopathic traits to be considered concerning. His findings also suggest that 12% to 13% of female white-collar workers could display similarly disruptive levels of these traits.
Rather than framing psychopathy as a fixed diagnosis, Boddy emphasizes that these behaviors exist on a spectrum, with many individuals functioning in society despite showing harmful or manipulative tendencies. He argues that recognizing this broader range is essential to understanding how psychopathic traits manifest across both genders in everyday environments.
