Women are considered to be the largest audience for true crime shows based on research and observations. This poses the question of why they're the demographic that is more interested in this genre than the others.
Let's explore some of the reasons why women are the predominant demographic of true crime.
Empathy to the Victims
According to criminology professor Dr. Scott Bonn, women's fascination with true crime shows is driven by their empathetic nature, especially as most victims are also female.
They "identify with and can easily imagine themselves in the role of the victim in frightening true crime tales."
Aside from being empathetic towards victims, women also "seek to understand, the motivations of the perpetrators—especially male perpetrators" and it may have to "do with a female desire to feel safe and secure."
Fear of Crime
Criminologist Gemma Flynn suggested that women's fascination with true crime might also stem from their fear of being victims of crime.
"It may well be connected to the very interesting contradiction that exists around fear of crime for women - that while women are far less likely to be a victim of crime, they are extremely likely to express high levels of fear of crime," she explained.
"When we experience heightened levels of fear we can often seek comfort in facing these issues head on. We have always turned to crime storytelling as a way to better understand the moral limits of our society. Perhaps for women there is a desire to satiate fear by turning to these stories."
Crime Monthly magazine editor Julia Davis echoed the same sentiment, "Women are fascinated by true crime because it’s a facing your fears thing. It’s knowledge is power. Your worst possible fear - understanding it, confronting it, knowing everything you can about it. That’s a major thing I hear again and again from women."
Escapism
Aside from the psychological reasons that were mentioned above, another reason that women love true crime shows is simply because of escapism.
"There is an element of escapism. This might sound strange when you’re talking about crime, but it’s something that I think all women understand that although there’s a perceived threat of violent crime, often the reality is minuscule, thank God," Davis explained.
"I think women can allow themselves to escape into a very compelling, awful but exciting story and just enjoy it for what it is at a distance."
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