The State of Our Health - Men's Health: Death By Murder

Those inclined to believe that there are no differences between the sexes need only consult homicide statistics for a corrective. In the period shown in the graphic, men were 3.5 times more likely to die by homicide than women were. The ratio fluctuates. In times of economic stress, men are nearly 4 times as likely to meet such an end than women.

As we have had occasion to note before in this series, men's generally shorter lifespans, greater tendency to die in accidents, to commit suicide, to be killed by others (and to kill others) is viewed by medical experts as at least partially due to the male hormone, testosterone. This hormone has been linked to aggressive and competitive behavior, not just strong libido, and has led some to use the phrase "testosterone toxicity."⁵ Needless to say, we transcend our chemical nature — but it produces tendencies society strives to channel.

Ours is a high-tech society much given to pharmaceutical interventions (Ritalin, Prozac) and to nurturing types of coping mechanisms (counseling, therapy, support groups). But Mother Nature may have her reasons for unevenly distributing traits between the sexes — even if behavior, beneficial for survival over millennia — produces awkward results in our times.

Some quick facts about homicide. More is provided in Crime and Justice, another volume in this series. Males are the victims of 75.2% of all homicides, around 11,553 males in 2000⁶. Of these 87% were killed by men, 13% by women. When a woman kills, she is four times more likely to kill a man than to kill another woman. Estimated data for 2000 are shown in the table below:

Offender/Victim	Homicides in 2000	% of all homicides
Male/male	10,001	65.1
Female/male	1,552	10.1
Male/female	3441	22.4
Female/female	369	2.4

Men invariably kill more people than women, but rankings are interesting. The highest ratio "favoring" men is in the killing of an elder; women rank highest in killing a child. When circumstances are considered, men have the highest ratio as offenders in a gang- related killing, women in killings during an argument. Men use guns, arson, and poison — in that order. Women use poison, arson, and guns — in that order.

Unlike the suicide death rate, the homicide death rate is much more variable. It appears to respond to social disturbances, rising in "exciting" times, becoming less visible in quiet periods. It may also have intensified with urbanization. Measured in deaths per 100,000 population, it was 1.2 in 1900, rising to 4.6 by 1910, to 6.8 by 1920. It rose to 9.2 by 1931, continued high during the Depression, dropped to 5.0 as World War II ended, reached a low of 4.7 in 1960, and began to rise again. The highest rate in the 20th century was in 1980 (10.6). Most recently it has been dropping again during the Internet boom.

Black males have a very low suicide rate but a high death rate from homicide. In 1998, the black male death rate was 38.4 per 100,000 people, the white male rate was 5.8. A black male was nearly 7 times more likely to die a violent death by homicide than a white. The same cultural and economic conditions that hold down suicide may produce a higher homicide rate in the African American community. Economic stresses may translate into higher rates of social disorder and personal stress for some. Periods of economic recession, therefore, are indicated on the graphic.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics System. Online. Available: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm, May 29, 2002. U.S. Bureau of the Census. Historical Statistics of the United States,1975. "Homicide trends in the U.S.: Gender." Bureau of Justice Statistics, for 1976-1999: Online. Available: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/gender.htm.