ABSTRACTThis research explores the assumption that evaluations of criminal offenders are related to the ascription of stereotypic gender‐linked traits. Three hypotheses derived from the literatures on deviant stereotypes, gender roles, and female crime were tested with data obtained from a statewide survey of the general public of Washington State. The findings indicate that evaluations of offenders in terms of perceived motivations are related to both gender ascription and type of crime committed. Recommended dispositions for and anticipated social accetance of offenders, however, may be adequately described solely by their relationships to type of crime. These findings may be related to the nature of the stereotyping process, the specific types of stimuli–including characteristics of the research setting that trigger it, and the kind of evaluation being made of the criminal devi