Since Pieces of You is finally available, I thought I'd do a mini-series on female serial killers
When we think of serial killers, we often picture men committing heinous acts. However, recent studies have shown that women are increasingly involved in serial murders. While female serial killers have always existed, their rise has been more frequently documented in recent years.
This four-part article series will discuss the increase of female serial killers, their motivations, and the psychology behind their crimes.
This first part will highlight the progress made in the recognition and documentation of female serial killers over the decades.
Historical Perspective of Female Serial Killers
Female serial killers have existed throughout history, but recorded data on this subject has been relatively recent. Historically, patriarchal societies accepted behavior that granted men the sole authority to commit violence, including murder. Thus, the legality of their actions affected the perception and documentation of male and female victims alike.
Further, few studies and literature were available on women’s serial killing behavior, resulting in a lack of reliable data, which was only accessible retrospectively. Thus, the identification of women as serial killers was infrequent, and convictions concerning women's serial killings were scarce.
That has changed over the past several decades as leading research institutions take a serious interest in the topic and have been exploring the rise in female serial killers. Presently, researchers are attempting to generate accurate and current data about the prevalence and motivations behind women's serial killing behavior.
The Changing Landscape
Recent studies show the number of women committing premeditated murder has risen over the years. Although men still remain prevalent in committing serial murders, the number of female serial killers has been increasing. Presently, over a hundred documented cases of women engaged in serial killing with different motivations.
While a proportion of female serial killers base their motivations on power and dominance, others develop them in reaction to past trauma. Research is now exploring the motivations and why women become serial killers as an independent class of offenders.
As a result of their increasingly publicized acts, conversations have begun and interest piqued in concerns surrounding women and crime history in general.
Female serial killers have existed throughout history, but their predatory behavior was concealed, overlooked, and often undocumented. However, recent studies have identified an increase in the rate and prevalence of female serial killers. With growing recognition, research attention, and documentation of their actions, we can have a better understanding of their motivations and the causes behind such behaviors. In part two of this series, we will explore the motivations that drive women to commit serial murders.
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