Title: The differences between male and female serial killers — Quartz
Headings: If male serial killers “hunt” their victims, what do female serial killers do?
If male serial killers “hunt” their victims, what do female serial killers do?
Content: It’s important to consider that media reports may be biased toward more sensationalistic murders, and any generalizations in the study’s findings are based on only several dozen people—both caveats that the researchers acknowledge. But that’s also inevitable. Documented serial killings are rare, even more so when they are perpetrated by women. Harrison thinks there are probably more female serial killers than have been recorded, or even caught. Just as society tends to underestimate women, it also tends to be dismissive of female serial killers, giving them silly nicknames like “Jolly Jane” or “The Giggling Grandma.” Media accounts focus on their looks. “ Society tends to believe that women can’t do such heinous things. Women are thought of as caregivers and kind,” she said. Men serial killers tend to follow their victims, often going from town to town, the research shows. They wait for the perfect time to attack, like a predator hunting for their prey.