Women make up a small percentage of all homicide offenders
Less than 10% of homicide offenders are women
Women make up an even smaller percentage of all serial homicides
Female serial killers are responsible for less than 10% of all serial murder cases
1% of the homicides committed by women are serial murders
Women are more likely to kill people they know
80% of the victims of homicides committed by women are family members
The victims are often children or elderly
Women who kill husbands or spouses often do so due to an abusive relationship
Other Statistics
80% of female serial killers use poison
Money is the motive for 74% of female serial killers
When females kill, it is rarely premeditated, but rather a crime of opportunity
Female Criminality Theory
Ogle's Theory of Homicidal Behavior Among Women
Baseline Stress
Women suffer from higher stress than men
Women who are from lower social class experience higher stress
Blockage of Coping Skills
Women have less anger coping mechanisms than men
Women from lower social status are more likely to have less coping mechanisms
Over-controlled Personalities
Women are more likely to have over-controlled personalities than men
Situational Stress
Women are less likely to have limits on expressing and experiencing anger
Women are more likely than men to have extreme episodes of violence than men due to high stress
The targets of their violence are often people in their immediate environment
Do you agree with this theory?
Other Factors or Reasons:
Mental illness
Suffering from past and current physical, mental, psychological abuse
Early childhood traumas
Post-pardum depression
Jealousy
Greed
What other factors might lead women to kill?
A magazine dedicated to women who kill, created by Investigation Discovery
Media
In recent years, there has been an increase of media attention on women who kill, and more specifically female serial killers, including a multitude of books, movies, TV shows, documentaries, and even magazines. You can view some of the media items below.
A book on female serial killers
A show on Investigation Discovery, that features different murderous women each episode
A documentary on Aileen Wuornos
A movie on the infamous "Battered Woman" serial killer, Aileen Wuornos
In addition to media attention, such as films and books, there are also many articles and news stories on women who kill and why they kill. The media seems to be fascinated with female killers for the simple fact that they are responsible for far less murders than men and generally have completely different motives and methods of operation than men. Women are seen as homemakers, mothers, and wives so it is often shocking and scandalous to hear about women who kill. Check out these interesting articles: