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.

KEYWORDS:

• Parricide
• female offender parricide
• female parricide victims
• South Africa homicide
• contract murder
• family murder

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. While this term may seem inappropriate in North American and European contexts, this term is the official one designated for those who are in “mixed race” categories. However, the term “mixed” is offensive in a South African context. Therefore, a term that reflects the accepted and normative practices in South Africa have been consistently adopted.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Pretoria.