The problem at the heart of our society

The recent evidence cannot be dodged. The conclusion is clear.

The victims of the man in Bondi Junction were overwhelmingly women. Of the six, only one was a man, and he died as a security guard who was trying to protect others rather than as a deliberate target as the women seemed to be.

The case of Molly Ticehurst is obviously shocking. She was allegedly murdered by her former boyfriend.

And three women have died in the Ballarat region in the space of two months, allegedly at the hands of men.

In Ballarat, women demonstrated against male violence, and the protest movement - because a movement it now is - has since spread.

Under the banner "No More" people are protesting this weekend in 17 towns and cities including Canberra.

One of the organisers told The Canberra Times: "Women are not men's punching bags."

So much ought to be obvious - but clearly isn't.

Depressingly, this isn't just an Australian problem.

In November, tens of thousands protested in Italian cities after a young student was murdered by her ex-boyfriend.

There are now calls in Australia for a royal commission to investigate violence against women.

We are not convinced it would do any good. It would take too long to come up with a conclusion.

Our fear is that the root cause of violence against women is a deep-seated sense of entitlement among some men.

One of the most worrying aspects is that this sense of male entitlement does not seem to be limited to older men. The young have it, too.

One of the most shocking new words is "incel" - meaning "involuntary celibate".

It is used by young men in social media groups. These "incels" are often angry that women will not have sex with them. Rather than looking at their own inadequacies, they blame women.

Men need to know that they are not entitled to anything from women. Women may choose what relationship they have with men. It is their choice.