"Most men are quite a bit taller and heavier and stronger," Hamby said. "You can't perpetrate any kind of violence without overcoming your victim in some way." When men kill, their victims are family members or intimate partners less than 20% of the time. For women, it's more than half, said James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University. "Men are much more often the breadwinner in the family. They also tend to suffer more psychologically when terminated," Fox said. "For men, they judge their self-worth by what they do. Women judge their self-worth by who they are and what kind of friend, sister, mother they are."

Juli Briskman gestures with her middle finger as a motorcade with President Donald Trump departs Trump National Golf Course in Sterling, Va., Oct. 28, 2017. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski, AFP/Getty Images)

What a difference a digit makes.

In October, Juli Briskman, riding her bike on her own time, flipped the bird at President Trump's motorcade as it left Trump National Golf Course in Sterling, Va. And that single-fingered salute led to her losing her job.

A photo of Briskman's passing opposition to the president went viral. Late-night host Stephen Colbert told his audience, "No one has summed up the mood of the country better. ... Long may she wave."

After the image became well-known, Briskman identified her involvement to her employer, Akima LLC. The company forced the 50-year-old mother of two to resign, claiming she violated its social media policy.

Now Briskman is suing Akima, alleging that when the government contractor forced her out it violated Virginia employment law.

The suit filed Wednesday by The Geller Law Group claims Akima acted improperly in firing an employee for fear of unlawful government retaliation.

"Juli's expression of disapproval of the President is fundamental political speech protected by both the United States Constitution and Virginia state law," attorney Maria Simon said in a press release.

Simon's law partner Rebecca Geller wrote, "Although many will disagree with Ms. Briskman's message and her means of expressing it, there can be no doubt that such speech is at the very core of the First Amendment and the Virginia Constitution."