Female Homicide Victimology: Impact of Changes in Gender Equality

Jonathan Pederson
Katie Frey
Victimology
3 November 2016

Female Homicide Victimology: Impact of Changes in Gender Equality

This week, I felt it was fitting to research into the impacts of gender equality on victimization. This is particularly relatable to the recent election results because undoubtedly gender equality is an undeniable core issue during this election cycle. Whether it be the fact we broke a glass ceiling in nominating the first major political party representative or the extensive misogyny within the GOP nominee, gender equality has never been more relevant. Robert G. Morris, Sarah Britto, and Lynne M. Vieraitis studied the correlations between changes in gender equality and statistics pooled from the Census and UCR reports ranging from 1980 to 2000. The three also apply feminist theories to the results.

Prior theories upon the correlation fall under two different general theories. Firstly, there held that the rise of the gender gap leads to increased victimization of women, especially homicide. This theory, characterized as the ameliorative hypothesis, suggests that there is a correlation between the gender gap, the manner men view women, and how men treat women. This hypothesis is supported in a historical context; when women gained the right to vote in England, the homicide rates dropped intensely. From 1918 to 1919, crime rates dropped almost a third (Emsley). However, crime rates resumed its height in 1920. This spurs the backlash hypothesis, which states that as the gender gap decreases, violence against women will increase as a backlash to the threat upon the patriarchy. This is certainly true of modern times.

Since Trump’s announcement to run for the presidency, the media have been increasingly covering what they call the “Trump Effect” where fear and hatred rise correlative to the success of Clinton. As Christina Willkie writes for the Huffington Post, the longer Trump faces Hilary, the higher children experience fear in the classroom. Olivia Truffaut-Wong elaborates on this phenomenon in Bustle to explain the rise of misogyny. Just as the hypothesis states, Trump and his supporters feel Clinton is a threat to their patriarchy. As such, their reaction to her success increases hostility faced by women. In turn, there is an increase in female homicide victimization.

The ameliorative hypothesis is commonly associated as a liberal feminist analysis of society; the backlash hypothesis is typically associated with a radical feminist analysis of society. The third hypothesis the group tested is a Marxist analysis described as, “Increasing women’s absolute status is associated with decreasing homicide rates” (Vieraitis, L. M., S. Britto, and R. G. Morris 441). When testing the third hypothesis, the group also accounted for both race and income equality. The results showed great support for the Marxist analysis, a slight correlation supporting the liberal feminist approach, and no support for the radical feminist approach. Unrelated findings included in the report analyzed the impact age, urban versus rural residence, and education level, however, these factors had little impact on the results.

The results of this study heightened my concern for the days to come. Regardless if the new president does anything to harm American values or not, Trump has set an attitude in America. This attitude will impact how women are treated, and reflectively will likely cause a rise in female homicide victimization. This is a concern that ought to be shared with others, so that we may create preventative actions against this violence. I hope that my final summary is as insightful for you as the study was for me. Thanks for a great semester!

Works Cited

Emsley, Clive. "Open Research Online." Choice Reviews Online 51.06 (2014): n. pag 7. PDF.
Mayer, Erin. "What To Do Now Donald Trump Is President-Elect & Your America No Longer Looks The Same." What To Do Now Donald Trump Is President-Elect & Your America No Longer Looks The Same. Bustle, 9 Nov. 2016. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.
Truffaut-Wong, Olivia. "If You Ever Doubted Misogyny's Strong Hold On America, Donald Trump Will Change That." If You Ever Doubted Misogyny's Strong Hold On America, Donald Trump Will Change That. Bustle, 9 Nov. 2016. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.
Vieraitis, L. M., S. Britto, and R. G. Morris. "Assessing the Impact of Changes in Gender Equality on Female Homicide Victimization: 1980-2000." Crime & Delinquency 61.3 (2011): 428-53. Research Gate. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.
Willkie, Christina. "‘The Trump Effect’: Hatred, Fear And Bullying On The Rise In Schools." Huffington Post. Huffington Post, 13 Apr. 2016. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.