Female Honor Killing: The Role of Age and Marital Status

Given that most studies on femicide were conducted in Western societies, there is still a need to study the phenomenon among diverse sociocultural contexts, particularly in traditional communities within non-Western contexts. This study focuses on identifying possible risk factors for female honor killing (FHK). A total of 102 cases involving the main Arab subgroups in Israel—Muslim Arabs and Christian Arabs—were analyzed from an 11-year period. Study findings note intriguing diversity in femicide risk factors. Commonly considered risk factors previously noted in Western societies’ studies, such as prior domestic violence and being in an intimate relationship, were not significant in FHK cases. Instead, being unmarried and older than 30 were found to be associated with increased risks of FHK. These findings suggest a need for further exploration of sociocultural diversity in femicide risk factors.