Female victims and offenders in South African parricides, 1990-2019

Abstract

Women have been primarily discussed as victims and offenders in intimate partner homicides and offenders in infanticides. In the parricide literature, women have been depicted as overly domineering and controlling figures who keep a tight leash on their offspring. Female parricide offenders have been explained as a reaction to prolonged abuse. Most of the parricide literature, however, has examined female offenders and victims in Western contexts. This study examines the unique characteristics of women victims and women offenders in South African parricides. One unique finding from our study indicates that contract killings of parents in murder-for-hire plots involve sociological processes.