A comparative, cross-national analysis of partner-killing by women in cohabiting and marital relationships in Australia and the United States

Author: Mouzos J / Shackelford TK
Publication: Aggressive Behavior
Topics: Crime Homicide International
Keywords: AUSTRALIA MURDER cohabiting marriage partner-killing
Bibliographic information +

The authors examined the prevalence of partner-killing by women in Australia by relationship type (cohabiting or marital), by partner ages, and by the age difference between partners, using national-level data from National Homicide Monitoring Program (NHMP) at the Australian Institute of Criminology in Australia. Men in cohabiting relationships are 16 times more likely to be killed by their partners when compared to married men. Within marital relationships, the risk of homicide victimization decreases with a man’s age, whereas the risk of homicide victimization for cohabiting men is highest for those in the oldest-aged group. The greater the age difference between partners is, the greater the homicide victimization risk faced by men from their partners.