Aggravated Homicide or Self-Defense? A Sociological Analysis of the Changing Punishment of Women who Harm or Kill Their Partners in Argentina

Abstract

This article sociologically examines the evolving punishment of women who harm or kill their intimate partners in the context of gender violence in Argentina. Through an analysis of paradigmatic cases and interviews with judicial operators in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, the article shows that actions which once resulted in harsh penalties or life sentences are increasingly being decriminalized and redefined as acts of self-defense. The argument is that this juridical redefinition is neither the result of a better legal interpretation or enforcement, nor a result of judicial paternalism influencing court decisions. Rather, I suggest that this shift should be understood as the expression of a broader collective transformation associated with the spread of counter-patriarchal social values, ultimately demonstrating that judicial practices are always embedded within a network of relationships that extend beyond institutional boundaries.