Assessing the Impact of Gender Inequality on Female Homicide Victimization Across U.S. Cities: A Racially Disaggregated Analysis

• NCJ Number: 193639
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2002 Pages: 35-63
• Author(s): Lynne M. Vieraitis; Marian R. Williams
• Date Published: January 2002
• Length: 9 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study focused on both gender and race to determine the relationship between gender inequality and female homicide victimization across races.

Abstract

Feminist literature concentrates on the power relations between men and women and on how society perpetuates violence against women by maintaining a system of patriarchy. The first hypothesis suggests that female victimization is an outcome of men’s advantaged position in society. The second hypothesis is that as women gain more power in occupational, education, and political spheres, violence against them increases because men will attempt to control the strides made by women. Another is that women’s economic status makes them more vulnerable and thus less powerful to resist male control, including violence. The research on this link between gender inequality and violence against women failed to consider the interplay between race and gender. Data for this study were collected for 158 cities in the United States that had a population of 100,000 or more in 1990. The absolute and relative status of women was examined in three areas: economic, educational, and occupational. Results found that total female homicide victimization rates were higher in cities where a higher percentage of women were both employed and employed in executive, managerial, and administrative positions. Women residing in cities in which their status was higher experienced a greater risk of lethal violence than women in cities where status was lower. In race-specific models, the effects of the relative status of women differed for whites and Blacks. For white women, the ratio of women to men employed full-time and the ratio of female to male median income were statistically significant. For Black females, none of the gender equality variables was significant. This analysis provided partial support for feminist arguments regarding the status of women and its affect on levels of female homicide victimization. Results indicated that as women made strides economically, their risk of victimization increased. 8 tables, appendix, 2 notes, 51 references