Spousal Homicides in Fiji

Abstract

This study contributes to the scant extant literature on spousal homicides in non-Western societies through the analysis of 29 legally married spouse homicides that occurred in Fiji over an 11-year period. The data show that husbands are six times as likely to kill a spouse as are wives and that sexual jealousy and suspicions of infidelity are the most common precipitating factor in uxoricides. A comparison of spouse homicides of males and females reveals that female-perpetrated spouse homicides differ significantly from those of males. The relatively high uxoricide rate is consequent on the prevalence of male-perpetrated conjugal violence in the society.