Women in Hells Angels Motorcycle Club: Their Role and Status

Last updated: October 26, 2026

Women have a huge role to play no matter what you do in life as a man. Even if there is something that only requires men, women are still a part of it, whether directly or indirectly. Similarly, in outlaw motorcycle clubs, such as Hells Angels, women play their specific roles.

Most outlaw motorcycle gang members portray an image of masculinity and manhood. What makes biker gangs different from other MCs and riding clubs is the bond of brotherhood they share.

You must have never heard about sisterhood in outlaw motorcycle clubs. This is mainly because outlaw motorcycle gangs are only for men. Women cannot become members of such motorcycle clubs.

Hells Angels, like every other outlaw motorcycle club, only prefers male members. This is mainly because they operate in a manly way. Hells Angels may not survive without strong and muscular men who prioritize the motorcycle club more than their families.

Despite Hells Angels’ masculine image, there still exists Hells Angels women who contribute to the motorcycle club. These female Hells Angels are not members of the club. However, they contribute a lot to Hells Angels.

There are certain Hells Angels Rules for Women that every lady associated with the club has to follow. All motorcycle club members give special protocol to the Hells Angels Wives.

For unmarried motorcycle club members, there are specific Hells Angels girlfriend rules for them. Continue reading this article to learn in-depth about the status and role of women in Hells Angels.

The answer is ‘No’. A woman cannot become a full-patch member of Hells Angels. This outlaw motorcycle gang (OMG) only accepts men as members.

Being an outlaw motorcycle gang, Hells Angels is involved in many criminal activities. Members of this club are among the most violent 1%ers with a track record of several heinous crimes. For this reason, they only require men to operate.

Joining an outlaw biker gang like Hells Angels is never recommended. If you are attracted to motorcycle club culture, there are several best biker gangs to join. These motorcycle clubs work for the good.

The other reason why Hells Angels doesn’t take women as full-patch members is their psychology. Members of this outlaw gang consider motorcycling and club culture unsuitable for women. Most members don’t think that motorcycles are for women. It is the one major reason why Hells Angels is a men-only motorcycle club.

On the contrary, there is also the Punishers Motorcycle Club. The name may intimidate you a bit, but it is completely opposite to Hells Angels. Read our detailed guide on: Who Is “Punishers Motorcycle Club” (Punisher LEMC)?

Women cannot become full-patch members of Hells Angels. Still, there are many females associated with this outlaw club. There are wives of Hells Angels motorcycle club members, including present and ex-members. There are also girlfriends of Hells Angels members who participate in many activities.

There may be no membership for women in Hells Angels, but they are highly respected. It is a wrong perception that Hells Angels members don’t treat women nicely. Female Hells Angels may not be treated equally in terms of membership. But, their efforts for the club are widely recognized by each member.

Women in motorcycle clubs are treated differently, depending on the type of MC. If you want to learn how women in motorcycle clubs are treated generally, read our detailed article on this topic.

“Old Lady’ or ‘Ol’ Lady’ is a term used for wives, partners, and ladies of outlaw motorcycle club members. Old ladies in Hells Angels receive equal respect from all motorcycle club members.

No one is allowed to mess with the old ladies, whether they are members or strangers. Messing with a Hells Angels old lady means the start of a fight.

Membership in the Hells Angels follows a set path, and every step on it is open to men only. According to court records and federal prosecutors' descriptions, a man usually starts as a hangaround, is sponsored by a member to become a prospect, and, if the chapter accepts him, becomes a full-patch member entitled to wear the full three-piece patch. A Canadian federal court decision also describes an "official friend" stage that sits below hangaround.

Women have no step on that path. A woman connected to the club is known by her relationship to a member, as his wife, girlfriend or "old lady", and that relationship does not carry membership. What is known publicly about daily life comes from court filings, former members, journalists such as the LIFE team that rode with the club in 1965, and researchers who spent years around outlaw clubs. Details vary by chapter, and none of it comes from the club itself.

Being a male-dominated outlaw motorcycle club, women in Hells Angels only have a limited representation. The roles of female members may differ from chapter to chapter. Hells Angels is one of the biggest outlaw motorcycle gangs that exist in around 66 countries, with more than 6,000 members. There are 592 chapters of Hells Angels worldwide. See how the Hells Angels compare with the top 35 motorcycle clubs in America.

The Hells Angels are a men-only club, so a woman's place in the club world comes through her relationship with a member, not through membership.

Overall, the most common perception about Hells Angels is that they prefer being a male-dominant outlaw group. Hells Angels women have limited roles compared to men.

Usually, Hells Angels MC women work as supporters. All the old ladies and women in Hells Angels support their men for their success in the club. They are bound to keep the secrets of the motorcycle club. Besides being loyal to their men, Women Hells Angels are also required to stay loyal to the motorcycle club.

It is true that women connected to the Hells Angels don't enjoy the same status as male members. They usually participate in making arrangements for club events and making meals for parties. This is how women in Hells Angels support their men in growing in the club.

If you are one of the female motorcycle enthusiasts, there are female-only motorcycle clubs to join. You will have the membership, authority, and voice in these clubs. Read our detailed article on the 10 most Badass Women’s Motorcycle Clubs.

Until now, we have only discussed the role and status of women Hells Angels. These are the women or ‘old ladies’ who are a part of Hells Angels. They are wives, girlfriends, or loved ones of Hells Angels members.

People also want to know about how Hells Angels MC members perceive female riders. Also, what do the male members think about female bikers? This is what is important.

As we discussed about the psychology of Hells Angels members, the perception is quite complex. To a certain extent, Hells Angels members’ perception of female riders is controversial as well.

Being a male-dominant outlaw motorcycle gang, Hells Angels doesn’t treat women equally as men. They don’t see women as someone who should be a part of Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.

Even the ‘Ol’ Ladies’ and girlfriends of Hells Angels members don’t have the same rights as men. They are allowed to ride together on the back of the motorcycle. They can join the other members in club events and parties. But they are kept at a distance in the club’s internal meetings and discussions.

With the changing dynamics, the motorcycle clubs’ culture has evolved to a certain extent. Though the pace is much slower in outlaw motorcycle gangs like the Hells Angels, there is still a change.

Female motorcycle riders are appreciated in the community. They are accepted to share the same road on their bikes.

Hells Angels have also started embracing the modern biker culture. However, the female bikers must adopt the traditional biker values. Those women who appreciate and embrace the biker culture and outlaw motorcycle club lifestyle are welcomed.

Women who ride Harley Davidsons may be considered true bikers by Hells Angels. The rest of the female riders are only considered ‘Posers’.

The Hells Angels are not unusual. Law enforcement training material states that most outlaw motorcycle clubs do not let women become full-patch members, and the best-known one-percenter clubs generally follow the same men-only rule.

Research shows the role of women around these clubs has also changed over time. A study published in the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography in 1990 drew on 17 years of fieldwork with outlaw clubs and their female associates in Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas. It found that women once seen mainly as party partners were increasingly expected to earn money for their men, and sometimes for the whole club, as clubs moved deeper into profit-making and crime. The study covers outlaw clubs in general, not the Hells Angels specifically.

Women who want a vote and a voice in the club ride in women-led clubs instead. The best known is Motor Maids, founded in 1940 with 51 charter members and chartered by the American Motorcycle Association in 1941. Membership is open to women who own and operate their own motorcycle, or one that belongs to a family member. For more, read our guide to the 10 Most Badass Women's Motorcycle Clubs.

Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a different world in itself. This is the reason many people want to know everything about it. One very common question asked regarding Hells Angels MC is:

 “What is it like to be a Hells Angels girlfriend?” 

People may assume that the Hells Angels members’ girlfriends are oppressed. However, the usual perception about how Hells Angels members treat their girlfriends is not true.

Girlfriends of Hells Angels members are free to move. They are also free to leave their boyfriends when they want. There is no such thing that you cannot break the relationship with a Hells Angels member.

As a girl, if you leave a member of Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, you will not face any consequences. The relationship between a girl and a Hells Angels MC member is the same as normal couples.

However, as you are in a relationship with a member of an outlaw motorcycle club, your life will not be the same. As a girlfriend, you will not be your man's priority. The club remains the priority for Hells Angels members.

Being a Hell Angels girlfriend, you will be protected by your man. This is something that Hells Angels take very seriously. Nobody from within the club and outside can mess with their girlfriends and wives. They have no mercy for those who try to disrespect or mess with their girls and old ladies. The same goes for kids.

Most widely shared photos of Hells Angels women come from a single 1965 assignment. LIFE photographer Bill Ray and writer Joe Bride spent several weeks with the club that year. Ray photographed members and their "old ladies" at the San Bernardino clubhouse, on a run from San Bernardino to Bakersfield, and outside a bar called the Blackboard in Bakersfield. Many of the frames show women riding on the back of a member's Harley, resting together at stops, or sitting in a separate room while the men gathered.

Those pictures are a record of the club's social scene in 1965, not a guide to Hells Angels life today. One thing that has not changed is that only members may display the club's name and winged death's head logo. That is why supporter clothing says "81" or "Support 81" instead.

If you ride two-up on a Harley, a sissy bar gives your passenger a backrest, and a sissy bar bag adds storage for the trip.

Being a girlfriend of a Hells Angels member, you cannot break certain rules. There is a code of conduct you are expected to live with. These include:

• You have to keep all the secrets regarding the Hells Angels to yourself.

• You will not get involved in any private or confidential matter of the club.

• You will respect the boundaries.

• You will never ask your boyfriend to choose between you and the motorcycle club.

• You will never ask your boyfriend to prioritize you over Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.

• You will never come in between your man’s roles and responsibilities toward the club.

• You are expected to live and behave accordingly.

• You are expected not to gossip with other Hells Angels women.

• You are expected to prioritize the motorcycle club’s interest at all costs.

• Even after you leave, you are expected to keep things secret.

Jay Dobyns, an undercover agent who previously served the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) department, did what no one has ever done before. He worked undercover for the country to infiltrate the Hells Angels chapter in Arizona.

During his tenure working as an undercover agent, he revealed many things about Hells Angels. When asked about the treatment of women in Hells Angels, he shared some secrets about this outlaw motorcycle club.

According to Dobyns, Hells Angels rules for women and sex are quite strict. There is a hierarchy when it comes to women in Hells Angels.

First, there are ‘old ladies’, the wives and girlfriends of Hells Angels members. If, for any reason, a Hells Angels member or any outsider is found being involved with the ‘ol’ lady’, you will have to face violent consequences.

Besides old ladies, there are Hells Angels Groupies. They are mostly seen at the clubhouse and parties. When it comes to Hells Angels Groupies, they are open to physical relationships. There is no offense if you have sex with the same Hells Angels Groupie, as per Dobyns.

In the past, several incidents and brawls happened during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. These incidents show that Hells Angels went to Sturgis a few times. Thanks to the rule of law, there is no such news anymore. Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has become quite peaceful and family-oriented.

There was a video circulated on social media in 2023 showing Hells Angels heading towards Aurora, Colorado, US. However, it was miscaptioned. The video was from the 2023 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally with a group of bikers.

There is a strict rule in the motorcycle club: You cannot quit Hells Angels MC if you are in good standing. Members are expected to serve a lifetime and retire when they age. If you leave Hells Angels for no solid reason, it will always be in a bad standing. You can also quit Hells Angels Motorcycle Club when you die.

The outlaw motorcycle clubs, like Hells Angels, take it as if a member is going against the club. If a member quits, the club assumes that he is holding a grudge, which is not welcome.

On the contrary, there are rules that you need to follow to remain a full-patch member of Hells Angels. If you don’t follow these rules, Hells Angels will make you quit. For example, not completing 20,000 miles annually can cause a full-patch member to lose his membership.

This is among the biggest drawbacks of joining an outlaw motorcycle club. To learn more about the pros and cons of joining a motorcycle club, read our detailed article on this topic.

No. The Hells Angels are a men-only club, so a woman cannot earn a full patch no matter who she is married to. Wives, girlfriends and "old ladies" are connected to the club through a member, but they are not members.

Nobody outside the club knows the exact number, because the Hells Angels do not publish a membership roster. Published estimates currently put the club at more than 6,000 members in about 592 charters across 66 countries, which makes it the largest outlaw motorcycle club in the world. Older figures were much lower: a 2002 article indexed by the U.S. Department of Justice's NCJRS library listed about 3,000 members in 217 chapters in 27 countries. Counts differ by source and year, and every one of those members is a man.

The Hells Angels do not publish their rules, and they differ by chapter, but court records and former members describe the same core ideas: loyalty to the club above everything else, secrecy about club business, and a set path to membership that runs from hangaround to prospect to full patch. Only full members may wear the club's name and winged death's head, and members who leave or are expelled are expected to hand back anything carrying them. In 2014 a former member of the Berlin chapter told a German newspaper that members were banned from alcohol, except at the annual party, and from travelling by bus or train. The rules for wives and girlfriends are covered in the Hells Angels Girlfriend Rules section above. For rank and duties, see Motorcycle Club Ranks and Their Duties.

Hells Angels tattoos mirror the club's patches. "81" stands for the eighth letter, H, and the first letter, A. "AFFA" stands for "Angels Forever, Forever Angels", the club's traditional motto. The "Filthy Few" patch and tattoo is the most disputed: some law enforcement officials say it marks someone who has committed or is ready to commit murder for the club, while the club says it is only a badge for the first to arrive at a party and the last to leave. Prosecutors say "Dequiallo" signals that the wearer fought police during an arrest. They also say members who are expelled must cover or "outdate" their club tattoos. For more, read 1% Outlaw Motorcycle Club Tattoos: Avoid the Outlaw Ink.

There is no verified rule that says what a Hells Angels girlfriend must do after a long ride. The club does not publish rules for partners, and most of the specific duties you will find online come from unsourced list videos and rewritten blog posts, not from court records, former members or the club. What is documented is the wider expectation of loyalty, discretion and putting the club first, covered in the Hells Angels Girlfriend Rules section above.