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Gender, Intimacy, and Lethal Violence: Trends From 1976 Through 1987

NCJ Number
151825
Journal
Gender and Society Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1993) Pages: 78-98
Author(s)
A Browne; K R Williams
Date Published
1993
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This study used data from the Supplementary Homicide Reports to compare patterns of homicide between opposite gender relational partners in both marital and nonmarital situations. Data are analyzed for the period between 1976 and 1987.
Abstract
An analysis of trends shows different patterns for married and unmarried couples, as men and women increasingly delayed entry into marriage and lived together as unmarried couples. Therefore, the downward trend in marital homicide could be due to the decline in the overall percentage of people involved in formal marriage situations. In contrast, there was an increase in lethal violence between men and women in unmarried relationships. While the lethal victimization rate for men involved in these relationships varied unsystematically during the study period, the rate of unmarried women being killed by their male partners increased significantly. Even for married couples, where the rate of lethal violence decreased, the drop in the rate at which husbands were killed by wives was greater than the drop in the rate at which wives were killed by husbands. The findings highlight the importance of disaggregating homicide data by gender and relationship type, and demand an explanation of homicide trends that is not male-centered. An acceptable theory must incorporate elements of social control and consider gender differences in motivations for homicide perpetration and relationship differences and their impact on homicide perpetration. 10 figures, 9 notes, and 47 references