Gender Violence

Gender refers to behavior that “is recognized as masculine or feminine by a social world” (Mackie, 1987, p. 3). Although there has been an increase in violent behavior by women in recent years, violence continues to be associated with and committed by men. Pearson (1997) claims that “our refusal to concede female contributions to violence radically impedes our ability to recognize dimensions of power that have nothing to do with formal structures of patriarchy” (p. 243). The issue is illustrated in the following example. In July 1993, the New York Times Magazine[Page 199]headlined “A Woman in Prison is Not a Dangerous Man.” In 1994, At the Prison for Women in Kingston, Ontario, six female inmates attacked four guards in a preplanned attempt to escape. The guards were punched, kicked, stabbed, and assaulted. The guards finally gained control, and the inmates were returned to their cells without being searched. In response to this, the inmates set fires, flung urine, and threatened the guards' lives. As a result, an emergency male team was called in; they strip-searched the female inmates and placed them in full body restraints. The incident was videotaped, and what resulted was a media portrayal of females as victims and correctional officers as victimizers.

Socialization can be defined as “the complex learning process through which individuals develop selfhood and acquire the knowledge, skills, and motivations required for participation in social life” (Mackie, 1987, p. 77). The norms, values, and mores of a society determine how a woman's behavior is perceived. For instance, a woman who does not follow the traditional passive and maternal role must therefore be defined as deviant. Merlo and Pollock believe that the perception of deviant versus nondeviant behavior allows a “Madonna/whore” duality to persist. For example, in the film The Accused, the victim, who is raped by multiple men in a bar, is portrayed as a “bad woman,” versus a “good woman” who conforms to the stereotype of femininity. The Mike Tyson rape trial was another portrayal in which the female victim was placed in a good girl/bad girl dichotomy. A good woman should not go out alone, “drink with a man, or spend time alone with men; those who do deserve what happens to them” (Merlo & Pollock, 1995, p. 4).

The socialization process is a means of informal social control that determines what a female and male should or should not do. However, this process is restrictive for the female and the traditional choices she is allowed throughout her life: for instance, the toys she plays with as a child, and as an adult, the household role, her occupation, and even the crime she commits. The following sections will offer an overview of domestic violence, murder, and serial murder.