Gender bias in the convergence dynamics of the regional homicide rates in Mexico

Abstract

The geography of violence in Mexico has changed in recent years because of an explosive increase in regional homicide rates since 2006. This study relies on spatial statistical data analysis to address the issue of convergence in homicide victim rates across Mexican municipalities from 2001 to 2010. Based on the results of spatial panel modeling, we conclude that despite strong regional disparities in murders, municipal-level homicide growth rates display a pattern of convergence with spatial interaction features. This convergent pattern is gender-specific; the homicide growth rates for females show stronger convergence than those for males when local and regional factors are not considered. We postulate that homicide growth dynamics among females more closely follow the predictions of the “modernization hypothesis” than do the dynamics among males. This finding suggests that violence (specifically, homicides) against women in Mexico is driven by underlying factors other than short-term factors, such as drug cartel dynamics, and regional factors, such as local institutions and governments. The data might support the long-established feminist hypothesis that contends that violence against women follows specific dynamics that are different from the dynamics of violence against men.