Crossnational Variations in Male and Female Homicide Rate: Testing Galtung's Structural Violence Approach

• In Event: Structural and Macro Perspectives on Gender

Abstract

A number of studies have sought to explain the variations of the homicide rate across nations. However, in almost all cases, only a few dozens of the most industrialized countries with a low homicide rate have been included in the analysis. Hence, the current study seeks to expand the study of cross-national homicide rate for 166 countries and aims at unravelling the differences in factors related to both the male and female homicide rate. In fact, the literature has shown that considerable differences exist in homicide victimisation in relation to gender; precisely, homicide motives differ depending on the victim's gender. These differences are generally explained by gender inequalities. However, structural violence - which refers in particular to strain and criminal sub-culture theories - underlies these inequalities. Thus, our study is based on the premise that homicide rate variations with regard to victim's gender is best understood when considering symbolic violence, which fosters structural violence, and consequently, gender inequalities. Our analyses of international homicide rate variations ensues from the conflict theory perspective with respect to Galtung's structural violence approach.

Authors

• Catherine Montmagny Grenier, Université de Montréal

• Marc Ouimet, Université de Montréal