Summarised by Centrist
A global analysis of 1,715 mass killings between 1900 and 2019 found only 6% were committed by women, according to research by Australian criminologists Xanthe Mallett and Loryn Sykes.
The study found differences in motive and method. Men’s violence is often tied to dominance and control, while women’s is usually defensive, linked to domestic abuse, and less likely to involve firearms.
Around 75% of female mass killings involved family members, compared to 39% for men. Women also showed higher rates of psychosis (25.7% versus 12.5%), psychiatric conditions (29.5% versus 17.1%). More than half attempted or committed suicide after the crime.
Notably, in Australia, Erin Patterson’s conviction for killing three family members with death cap mushrooms breaks the typical patterns. Unlike many female offenders, Patterson had no known history of abuse or violent conflict with her victims, and no clear motive has been identified.
Historically, female mass murderers have often turned to poison. In 1953, Sydney woman Caroline Grills was convicted of attempted murder after police accused her of poisoning relatives with thallium, a rat poison ingredient, earning her the nickname “Aunty Thally.”
Data from the Australian Institute of Criminology shows women committed 13% of all murders between 2004 and 2014, with intimate partners the most common victims. In cases where women killed their partners, domestic abuse was said to be present in all 15 recorded incidents.
