May 2002

A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) finds that among high- income nations, the United States has the highest rate of female homicide victimization. David Hemenway, PhD, director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center at HSPH, and lead author of the study, said: "The difference in female homicide victimization rates between the US and other industrialized nations is very large and is closely tied to levels of gun ownership. The relationship cannot be explained by differences in urbanization or income inequality."

U.S. females account for 32% of the cumulative female population of the 25 countries with the highest income, but 70% of all female homicides and 84% of all female firearm homicides.

Approximately 4,000 American females are murdered each year. (Note: 17 times as many Latina women are murdered by males they knew rather than by strangers. Data from the Violence Police Center comparison of homicides in 5 states).

The US female homicide rate is 5 times that of all the other high-income countries combined. The firearm homicide rate for US females is 11 times higher than that in the other high-income countries. (See table posted on display)

Other studies of high-income countries have found a relationship between levels of household gun ownership and overall homicide rates. The current study is one of the first to examine international female homicide rates. The article, "Firearm Availability and Female Homicide Victimization Rates among 26 Populous High Income Countries," is published in the spring 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Women's Association.

"The circumstances of male and female homicides tend to be quite different," said Hemenway, "at least in the United States. While men are typically killed away from home by a non-intimate, women are more likely to be killed at home by a spouse, ex-boyfriend, or other intimate acquaintance." (our emphasis)

A recent study in the Journal of Urban Health looking at female homicides across the US found that in states with higher levels of household gun ownership, there were higher rates of female homicide victimization, even after account for differences in urbanization and poverty. Hemenway said, "Guns are often bought for protection, but the US has the most guns, and, clearly, we are not doing a good job of protecting American women.

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