If women in the family are held to more social control and men hold more social power, these practices are further replicated, allowing boys more freedom and imposing boundaries and control stricter on girls. Greater freedom granted to young males could explain why the overall crime rate for young males is higher than for young females, since the possibility of delinquency is much higher for males than for females. females. However, egalitarian families raising their children with equal levels of supervision could explain why female juvenile delinquency (total crime rate) still exists, albeit at a significantly lower rate than that of male youth. The same concept applies to differences between total adult male and female crime rates, which are similar to differences between rates among juvenile males and females. Power control theory could also explain differences in total crime rates between adults and youth. This theory identifies family roles as an important factor in determining delinquency. As people age, they begin to take on more responsibilities within the family. An example is a young person who eventually ages out and becomes the parent of a child. That individual, regardless of gender, now has more responsibilities such as providing for and raising the child. With greater responsibility comes reduced opportunity for delinquency, which explains the lower crime rates among adults compared to older adults.