Masculinity and Child Homicide

In this article masculinity and violence are explored through an examination of case studies of child homicides committed by men in Victoria, Australia between 1985 and 1994. The findings reveal a diversity of violent scenarios and a complexity in masculinity and its relationship to violence. They challenge the adequacy ofuniversalistic representations of male violence as either an instrumental act, a means of accomplishing masculinity, or as an unpremenditated emotional act of rage and anger in response to a threat. In particular, the scenarios reveal both the complex and sometimes contradictory expectations of masculinities and the ways in which they are achieved differently in different situations. One of the major contributions of feminists to criminology has been the identification of the nature and extent of male violence against women. Not only have these works revealed violence against women that had previously been rarely acknowledged as criminal, but in so doing, they draw attention to the fact that most violent crimes are in fact committed by men. Feminists have put the issue of masculinity and crime firmly on the criminological agenda. The intent of this article is to explore further the nature of the relationship between masculinity and violence by examining case studies of child homicides committed by men in Victoria, Australia between 1985 and 1994.