Abstract
The purpose of this
comparative and qualitative study was to examine four cases of religiously
motivated maternal filicide in Texas for common themes related to patriarchal
and religious oppression of women through Gender Performativity and Symbolic
Order. A Postmodern Feminist
framework showed a gap in research that explores how Christianity-based
religious discourse and gender roles impacted mothers who committed filicide.
Newspaper articles were coded for religious themes. Identified religious themes
included God, commands from male deity, women as bad/flawed, secrecy, and
female obedience and male authority. This research provides a unique
understanding of the etiology of religiously motivated maternal filicide.
