How was the impact of being a female convict different to that of being a male convict?

Nearly 12,500 women were transported to Van Diemen's Land, mostly for petty theft. This was roughly the same number as were sent to New South Wales. Two-thirds arrived after 1840, when transportation to New South Wales ceased. There were three phases of female transportation to Van Diemen's Land: exile or open prison (1803–13), assignment (1814–42), and probation (1843–53). In each, the numbers of convict women arriving in Van Diemen's Land increased, and they were subjected to more severe penal conditions.

From 1803 to 1813, about ninety convict women arrived. As the colonial population grew, so did the demand for female convict labour. Convict women were employed in domestic service, washing and on government farms, and were expected to find their own food and lodging. Punishment for those who transgressed was humiliating and public. Exile itself was considered a catalyst for reform. Economic and social opportunities allowed significantly improved circumstances for some convict women, while others struggled.

During the second period, from 1814 to 1842, just over 5400 female convicts arrived. In 1840, the number increased significantly when transportation to New South Wales ceased, and all female convicts were shipped to Van Diemen's Land. In this second period, transportation of convict women was characterised by the development of clearly articulated policies with an unequivocal economic and moral focus. Convict women were assigned as domestic labour, and were encouraged to reform though a system of rewards and indulgences, such as the ticket-of-leave, which permitted the holder to work for any employer for wages and to choose her own residence.