The global gender gap and female homicide victimization at the global level

Utilizing a theoretical framework of gender equality, this paper analyzes the relationship between gender inequality and violence against women cross-nationally. Though there are numerous studies conducted in an effort to gain more knowledge about what affects violence against women, very few are conducted at the multinational level. Through the use of secondary data sources, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2007 and the World Health Organization (WHO), fifty countries were determined to be applicable for this study based on the availability of data from both reputable sources. From the World Economic Forum, the variables educational attainment, political empowerment, economic participation and opportunity, and the existence of legislature punishing acts of violence against women were selected for analysis as independent variables to determine their impact on female homicide victimization. Homicide rates on females ages fifteen and older were collected from the WHO data from 2005. Ordinary least squares regression was used to test these hypotheses. This study found that only political empowerment of females is a significant predictor of female homicide victimization at the global level. The results gave a generalizable model that explains 11% of the variance in female homicide victimization globally.