The Impact of Women’s Status and Gender Inequality on Female Homicide Victimization Rates Evidence From U.S. Counties

• Published in: Feminist criminology Vol. 2; no. 1; pp. 57 - 73
• Main Authors: Vieraitis, Lynne M., Britto, Sarah, Kovandzic, Tomislav V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications 01-01-2007; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Cross-sectional studies; Employment; Feminism; Feminist theory; Gender; Gender equity; Gender inequality; Homicide; Income inequality; Inequality; Marxist analysis; Murders & murder attempts; Victimization; Women; United States > US; USA; women’s status; female homicide victimization; gender inequality
• ISSN: 1557-0851; 1557-086X
• DOI: 10.1177/1557085106294187

Feminists have long argued that structural inequality between men and women influences the prevalence of female homicide victimization. In the present study, a cross-sectional analysis was performed using data on 3,083 U.S. counties in 2000 to assess the impact of women’s absolute status and gender inequality along educational, employment, income, and occupational dimensions and patriarchal culture on their risk of homicide victimization. The findings indicate that only women’s absolute status contributes to our understanding of cross-sectional variation in female homicide rates across U.S. counties and lends support to Marxist feminist theory.