Introduction

True crime is a popular literary genre dominated by a female audience [3]. Owing to the fact that most victims of violent crimes are women, it may be surprising that this unsanitized genre would find support in female audiences. In 2022 alone, 184 females were killed and investigated for homicide in Canada, with a murder occuring every two days on average from 2018-2022 [1]. Many individuals attribute women’s fascination with true crime as a result of a fear of victimization or a survival guide to avoid becoming the next story. However, current literature has yet to explore why this genre resonates with women. The following article aimed to investigate why women are drawn to true crime over other violent genres, including war and gang-related books, and the specific factors that may influence this choice

Methods & Results

Vicary & Fraley conducted the following five studies at the University of Illinois in the Department of Psychology [8]. 

Study 1

Methods

Data was collected from Amazon book reviews. Reviewers were separated by gender based on indicators of gender identity, such as the use of “miss” in the name, and common gender-based names, such as “Mike.” The first 25 books found under the search term “military” were used, with emphasis on World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Additionally, the first 25 books found under the search term “true crime” were used. This study analyzed how many reviews were written by men compared to women in both genres of books.

Results

The study found that more women reviewed true crime books than men, and more men reviewed war books than women, as shown in Figure 1. Women were also equally likely to review books written by male and female authors, thereby eliminating sex-based bias. Lastly, 95% of reviews in both genres were positive.

Study 2

Methods

Data was collected from the second author’s website that linked to studies regarding “social psychology” and “personality.” Participants were asked to imagine that they could take home a free book from two options after being given a brief summary of each, and without explicitly mentioning the true crime or war genres. All books featured female main characters. Participants self-reported how much they think they would enjoy their chosen book.

Results

The study found that more women chose the true crime book over the war or gang books. Male participants were roughly equal in their preference for either genre with more men leaning towards the true crime book as well. Additionally, of the individuals that chose the war or gang book, men were more likely to enjoy their choice, and of the individuals that chose the true crime book, women were more likely to enjoy their choice. 

Study 3

Methods

Data was collected from over 15,000 participants. Participants were asked to choose between two books after being given a summary of each. Both books contained a scene in which the victim used a trick to escape. In each study, this scene was erased from one of the books (at random). Participants were then asked to self-report whether they expected to “learn anything helpful.” The aim of this study was to determine whether extrapolatable information about survival is the key factor in drawing women into true crime literature.

Results

  This study found that within each group, women and men were more likely to choose the book featuring the escape tactic. Additionally, individuals that chose the book with the escape tactic were more likely to expect to learn something helpful

Study 4

Methods

Data was collected from over 3,000 participants. Participants were asked to choose between two true crime books, which both featured an interview with the killer. This part was taken out of one book (at random) for each study.

Results

This study found that within the female participants, more were likely to choose the book featuring an interview with the killer, and within the male participant group, more were likely to choose the book featuring an interview with the killer as well. Overall, more women chose the book with the interview than men.

Study 5

Methods

Data was collected from over 7,000 participants. Participants were asked to choose between two true crime books in which the victim was either a male or female (at random).

Results

The study found that amongst the women, more were likely to choose the book that featured a female victim. The male participant group had a roughly even split on their preference of a male or female victim.

Discussion

Overall, these five studies found that women were more likely to prefer the true crime genre to the war and gang-related genres. Additionally, women were also more likely to prefer true crime literature than men. Similarly, American women are two times as likely as men to listen to true crime podcasts, which is ranked as the most popular podcast genre, which shows that the target audience remains the same regardless of the medium of communication [6]. The previous finding may be due to aspects in the story, such as escape tactics or sex of the victim ,as seen in Studies 3 and 5, that similarly draw in female viewers across different types of media. It is interesting to note that while women are primarily victims of male offenders, most victims of crime in general are men [4]. However, as seen in Study 5, women may be reading stories that feature more female victims as they are more fearful of gender-based violence, which includes sexual assault and intimate partner violence. Women were also more likely to choose books featuring a closer look into the killer’s motives, as well as the methods used by the victims to escape. These findings suggest that survival and fitness may play a role in women’s fascination with the true crime genre, which coincides with previous studies that indicate that women fear becoming victims more than their male counterparts [2, 7]. By reading these stories, women get a closer look into the warning signs that may precede violent acts and the methods of escape that can be utilized to overcome these situations. 

However, it is important to acknowledge the article’s limitations. Most of the studies’ featured greater numbers of female participants compared to male participants, roughly containing a 70:30 ratio for women to men. Thus, the results of the studies may not be representative as a larger number of participants in a specific population group allows for greater diversity amongst their preferences. Consequently, any change present in the male group may skew the results greatly due to the small sample size. In addition, the median ages of the participants ranged from the mid-twenties to early-thirties. Therefore, the results may be indicative of a new generation of female readers rather than women as a whole population. These limitations can be improved upon by increasing recruitment exposure to the studies on various forms of media, including the authors’ websites, that men and women frequent at similar rates. Nonetheless, this article is a great starting point to understand the literary factors that appeal to female readers.

Conclusion

Women are drawn to true crime over other violent genres, which may be related to increasing their chances of surviving similar crimes. Furthermore, women prefer to understand the motivations and planning behind a killer’s plan, which gives them insight into the minds of potential predators. However, it is also important to acknowledge that true crime and investigative journalism have been popular for decades and may also speak to humans’ curiosity with death. It may be beneficial to further explore whether women prefer true crime over other female-dominated genres, such as romance, as well as different mediums of communication, such as television or podcasts, to further support this research. Additionally, it may also be beneficial to explore the impact of true crime consumption on its audience emotionally and mentally.

Works Cited

1. Dawson M, Zecha A, Angus H. Understanding sex/gender-related killings of women and girls in Canada, 2018-2022. Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability; 2022 p. 3–95.
2. Ferraro KF. Women’s fear of victimization: Shadow of sexual assault? Social Forces. 1996 Dec 1;75(2):667. doi:10.2307/2580418
3. Michallon C. The real reason women are obsessed with true crime [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2025]. Available from: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/a44910220/women-true-crime-obsession/
4. Morgan RE, Thompson A. Criminal Victimization, 2020 – Supplemental Statistical Tables. Bureau of Justice; 2022 p. 1–19.
5. Moskowitz PE. True crime is cathartic for women. it’s also cop propaganda. [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2025]. Available from: https://www.motherjones.com/media/2020/06/true-crime-podcasts-white-women/
6. Naseer S, St. Aubin C. True crime podcasts are popular in the U.S., particularly among women and those with less formal education [Internet]. Pew Research Center; 2023 [cited 2025]. Available from: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/06/20/true-crime-podcasts-are-popular-in-the-us-particularly-among-women-and-those-with-less-formal-education/
7. Stanko EA. The case of fearful women: Women & Criminal Justice. 1993 Feb 25;4(1):117–35. doi:10.1300/j012v04n01_06
8. Vicary AM, Fraley RC. Captured by true crime: Why are women drawn to tales of rape, murder, and serial killers? Social Psychological and Personality Science. 2010 Jan 1;1(1):81–6. doi:10.1177/1948550609355486