Do Women Really Kill for Honor? Conceptualizing Women's Involvement in Honor Killings

Abstract

So far, women's involvement in honor killings has been attempted to explain with the emphasis on either patriarchy or the concept of hegemonic masculinity. However, the current conceptualization of women involved in honor killings is not completely representative of all of the cases. The accurate portrayal of women's involvement in such killings requires a broader understanding of particular circumstances of the female perpetrators, the whole dynamic behind honor killings, and of the particular relationship between victim and the perpetrator. Through reflecting on the narratives of five female perpetrators, this article aims to provide this missing focus.