A Decade of Change in the Gendered Organizational Structure of Methamphetamine Markets in the American Midwest.

This article examines how organizational changes in rural methamphetamine markets in Missouri, USA, following the 2005 Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, affected gender segmentation and women's roles in these crime markets. Comparing interviews with two cohorts of incarcerated women meth users—one from 2009 involved in locally produced meth markets and one from 2019 involved in imported crystal meth ("ice") markets—the study finds that the shift to imported ice increased market uncertainty, rationality (profit orientation), complexity, professionalism, and violence. These changes intensified gendered exclusion, stereotyping, and risks of sexual and physical violence, limiting women's access to higher-status roles despite continued active participation. The findings support Steffensmeier’s theory that gender segregation in crime markets varies with organizational properties and highlight the broader social ramifications of drug policy on marginalized rural populations.