Why do men commit 90% of murders?
In the U.S., men are responsible for 90% of all homicides. This statistic has remained consistent for decades, across regions and demographics. It’s not a popular topic because it challenges how we talk about crime, gender, and responsibility. But ignoring it serves no one. It’s not enough to say men commit more murders. We should ask why.
One reason often cited is biology. Testosterone is linked to dominance, impulsivity, and aggression—traits that can make violent behavior more likely in some men. Research shows that elevated testosterone levels don’t directly cause violence, but they can increase risk factors. Still, biology doesn’t tell the whole story. Most men have normal testosterone levels and don’t kill anyone.
Cultural expectations also play a role. From early childhood, boys are taught to be tough, not to cry, and to fight back when disrespected. Power and control are often seen as male virtues. In the wrong conditions—poverty, broken families, lack of education—those lessons can become deadly. Men who feel they have no voice or future may reach for the only thing they’ve been taught gives them value: control through force.
Many murders are not random. They follow patterns. Domestic violence, gang violence, and gun violence are all driven mostly by men. The weapons may change, but the motives often come down to status, ego, or revenge. A man who feels humiliated or betrayed is more likely to see violence as a solution, especially when violence is normalized in his community.
Mass shootings are another layer of this. While rare compared to other forms of homicide, they are mostly committed by men. These men have a long history of feeling powerless. Some lash out after rejection, failure, or job loss. They are not insane in the clinical sense, but something in their worldview has broken. Again, the pattern repeats: a male identity built on control, collapsing in the face of helplessness.
The justice system also reflects the imbalance. Men fill the majority of prison beds, not only for murder but for most violent crimes. The response to violence is often more violence—policing, incarceration, punishment—without much focus on prevention. There’s no national program aimed at reshaping how boys learn about emotion, conflict, or worth. Schools still reward dominance, and many homes still teach silence over openness.
None of this means men are doomed to violence. Most aren’t. But the numbers are not new, and they are not improving. They reflect a longstanding failure to confront the deeper roots of male violence and the silence that lets it continue.
AP News. Reuters. The New York Times. The Wall Street Journal. Journal of Criminal Justice. Archives of General Psychiatry.
