A Cross-Cultural Research on Intimate Partner Murders in Russia, Canada, and the United States

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The people who hurt us the most are often our loved ones. That is why spousal murder is not a new phenomenon. Since the beginning of time, humans have had a nature of violence and have acted that violence out against another, especially the ones we love the most, like family. This is not surprising. Everyone has had some personal experiences with family violence or has witnessed it at the expense of others. In U.S. society, when a husband or wife is killed, the first person that law enforcement turns to is the spouse. The married partner automatically becomes a suspect. It is also common to assume that the perpetrator, if the couple is not married, could be the boyfriend or girlfriend. What is appalling is the fact that intimate partner violence is not seen as a universal social problem. In some countries, it is not recognized as a problem at all. (Barnett, Miller-Perrin, & Perrin, 492) When people examine intimate partner violence on a cross-cultural level, then cultural relativism should be practiced. Practicing cultural relativism will help keep an ethnocentric perspective out of the research. Spousal murders and other types of family violence are not discussed much because American culture views family as a private entity; therefore many people do not speak up when there is violence in the home. People do not want the government or law enforcement to be involved much, once an issue involves a family matter. The victims are also often afraid or ashamed to report. It is estimated that half of the women abused do not report their abuse. (Wallace & Roberson, 2011, p. 210) This fact shows us that violence is there, but it is just ignored or “put up with” in society. We have more violence than data shows because m...

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Shackelford, T. K. (2001). Cohabitation, marriage, and murder: Woman-killing by male romantic partners. Aggressive Behavior, 27(4), 284-291.
Stickley, A., Kislitsyna, O., Timofeeva, I., & Vagero, D. (2008). Attitudes Toward Partner Violence Against Women in Moscow, Russia. Journal of Family Violence, 23(6), 447 -456. Doi:10.1007/s10896-008-9170-y.
Waite, L. J., & Gallagher, M. (2000). Is Marriage A Hitting License. The case for marriage: why married people are happier, healthier, and better off financially (1 ed., pp. 150-160). NewYork: Doubleday.
Wallace, H., & Roberson, C. (2011). Characteristics and Consequences of Family Violence. Family violence: legal, medical, and social perspectives (6th ed., pp. 1 36). Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

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