Misogyny, poor response from the authorities and attitudes by women themselves all contribute towards gender violence, an expert has warned. 

"The biggest problem we have is our attitude, which results in women being considered lesser in the public sphere," Marceline Naudi from the Department of Gender Studies tells this week's edition of Times Talk. 

The interview was carried out in the aftermath of the murder of a woman and her mother off Gudja last weekend.

In an impassioned interview, Dr Naudi lists the problems which sow the seeds of domestic violence, and increasingly femicide - the murder of a woman on account of her gender. 

"Women are perceived as less important, not as leaders but followers, as having to be submissive to the man. Women are there to serve the needs of the family and the man. We 'allow her' to go out and get paid. At the end of the day, in the vast majority of cases, women still bear the responsibility of the family and household," Dr Naudi says.

It's about education... but it's also about us stopping and opening our eyes to what's going on

"This is the result of a patriarchal society. It's about education... but it's also about us stopping and opening our eyes to what's going on."

She said the majority of cases of so-called femicide are actually a result of intimate partner violence. 

"There are more women raped within relationships than outside. There are more women who are killed within relationships than outside..."

She insists that some cases of femicide could have been avoided had there been an adequate response from the authorities, especially the police and court. 

The Malta-based European Observatory on Femicide is currently carrying out research and collating evidence to give a snapshot of the problem in Europe.

And Dr Naudi is determined to make sure the conclusions will not gather dust: "I will slap it in the face of anybody who should be responsible."

Watch the full Times Talk interview by clicking the link above