Dina ElBoghdady describes it:
Just nine percent of those who commit major corporate fraud are women, according to a recent study published in the American Sociological Review. … By major, [DoJ officials] mean cases involving fraud to cover up a corporation’s true financial health, Ponzi schemes and insider trading as opposed to low-profit schemes such as embezzlement, where some studies suggest that women are on near equal footing with men.
Reasons for the disparity:
[W]omen are less likely to occupy the top management positions that open up some opportunities for lucrative financial fraud, said Darrell Steffensmeier, lead author of the study and a sociology professor at Pennsylvania State University. … But there’s also a more nuanced side to the gender gap. For starters, the old boys’ network thrives in corporate crime schemes, which tend to be group-centric, Steffensmeier said. Women are bypassed when opportunities arise. “Men lead these conspiracies, and men generally prefer to work with men,” Steffensmeier said. “If they do use women, they use them because they have a certain utility or they have a personal relationship with that woman and they trust her.” Gender expectations and risk preferences also play a role. Even if women had equal opportunities to commit a serious corporate crime, they are less likely to take risks for economic gain, according to the study.
The Dish 