Femicide : the public perception

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to gain insight into the public’s perception and comprehension of the recently introduced legislation on femicide in the Maltese Criminal Code. Femicide was discussed through a feminist approach, emphasising that patriarchal society initiates gender-based violence which leads to femicide (Connell, 2005). A quantitative research method based on an anonymous online survey was distributed amongst the population in Malta to provide a wide and cross-sectional representation of diverse age groups, genders, occupations, and education statuses and their views on femicide, in particular in relation to the introduction of legal amendments making femicide an aggravated offence. The findings of this study reveal that public opinion of different genders isn’t as different as expected. However, men had slightly higher rates (23% of men do not agree with the legislation compared to 10% of women) of negative responses. Whereas women and non-binary individuals had more positive responses. This suggests that even though patriarchy is influential in our society (Lombard, 2015), more individuals are recognising the gender inequality women encounter. The research calls for further awareness-raising measures that countries should implement in their policies to reduce gender-based violence and murder against women and girls.