NCJ Number
182420
Date Published
1999
Length
55 pages
Annotation
This study involved the analysis of 2,821 homicide incidents in Australia between July 1989 and June 1998 to identify patterns and trends in femicide, to examine differences and similarities between the murder of women and the murder of men, and to determine circumstances that may contribute to the likelihood of a woman being murdered in Australia.
Abstract
During the study period, females of all ages were killed at an average annual rate of 1.4 per 100,000 population, while men of all ages were killed at an average annual rate of 2.4 per 100,000. This pattern remained relatively stable over the 9-year period. The greatest risk of homicide victimization for females occurred between 21 and 23 years of age, whereas the greatest risk for men was between 24 and 26 years of age. Nearly three in five femicides occurred between intimate partners, and nearly all were the result of a domestic altercation. In comparison, half of homicides involving male victims occurred between friends and/or acquaintances. Femicide was most likely to take place in residential premises rather than in other locations, and males were also most likely to be killed in private residences. Similar to homicide involving male victims, femicide was most likely to be committed using a knife or other sharp instrument, followed by bodily force. Femicide was overwhelmingly a male-dominated act, with approximately 94 percent of offenders being male. Offender age varied according to the victim-offender relationship; as the offender's mean age decreased, so did the level of familiarity between the victim and the offender. Similar to homicide in general, femicide was generally of an intra-racial nature. Aboriginal women were overrepresented as victims of femicide, just as aboriginal men were overrepresented as victims of homicide. Women rarely died at the hands of a male stranger. Policy implications of the findings are discussed. References, notes, tables, and figures