Why Women are Beaten and Killed

The higher women climb in society, the more likely she is to become a victim of fatal violence against women (femicide). This study explores the patterns of femicide in 106 medium and large U.S. cities through the examination of the macro-structural inequalities of race, gender, and poverty, which contribute to femicide rates. Using path analysis, this study shows a complex view of femicide grounded in the feminist intersectionality perspective that women's lives are shaped by the interlocking oppressions of gender, race, and class. The results describe how intersectional discrimination predicts high femicide rates for both black women and white women, but when gender, race, and class are examined separately, there are significant differences. As women gain gendered status, both black women and white women are more likely to be murdered, which can be explained by a backlash against the advances women have made in society. Moreover, black women are more likely to be murdered in a city with greater racial discrimination and white women are more likely to be murdered in a city with a lower economic status than other cities.