Domestic Violence

• Domestic violence

  Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender of sexuality
• Types of domestic violence

  • Psychological
  • Physical
  • Sexual
  • Financial
  • Emotional
• Domestic violence is not the behaviour of a few disturbed or sick individuals, it is a social issue more so than it is a psychological one
• Domestic violence is far too widespread to be the work of a few disturbed individuals
• Domestic violence accounts for one sixth and a quarter of all violent crimes
• 2 million people reported having been victims of domestic abuse during the previous year
• Domestic violence does not occur randomly but follows particular social patterns which have social causes
• Domestic violence is mainly violence by men against women
• Two women a week or 1/3 of all female homicide victims are killed by a partner or a former partner
• Violent incidents are stimulated by what the husband may perceive as a challenge to his authority
• Marriage legitimises violence against women by conferring power and authority on man and despondency on wives
• 7.3% of women compared with 5% of men reported having experienced domestic abuse in the previous year
• Women were much more likely to be victims of multiple incidents of abuse and of sexual violence
• Women suffered more severe violence and control, with more serious psychological effects
• It can be difficult to count separate domestic violence incidents as many abuse may be continuous or may occur so often that the victim cannot reliably count the instances
• Official statistics understate the true extent of the problem
• On average, a woman suffers 35 assaults before making a report
• Domestic violence is the violent crime least likely to be reported
• Victims of domestic violence are less likely than victims of other forms of violence to report the offence as they believe it is not a police matter or it is too trivial or from fear of reprisals
• Police and prosecutors may be reluctant to become involved in family matters as they have preconceived notions about family life
• Family is a private sphere, so access to it by the state should be limited
• Family is a good and functional unit so agencies tend to ignore the darker side of family
• Individuals are free agents so it is assumed that if a woman is experiencing abuse she is free to leave
• Radical feminist explanation of domestic violence

  • Men are the enemy and oppressors and exploiters of women
  • Family and marriage is key institution in patriarchal society and main source of women's oppression
  • Domestic violence is an inevitable feature and serves to preserve the power that all men have over women
  • Male dominations of state institutions helps to explain the reluctance of the police and courts to deal effectively with cases of domestic violence
• Not all men are aggressive and most are opposed to domestic violence
• Radical feminists fail to explain female violence, including child abuse by women and violence against men and within lesbian relationships
• 18% of men experience domestic violence since age 16
• Radical feminists wrongly assume that all women are equally at risk of domestic violence
• Women from certain social groups face a greater risk of domestic violence, such as young women, those from low social classes and in deprived areas, those on low incomes, those in shared accommodation, those with high levels of drugs/alcohol consumption, and those with long term illness/disability
• Materialist explanation of domestic violence

  • Focus on economic and material factors such as inequalities in income to explain why some groups are at more risk
  • Domestic violence is a result of stress on family members caused by social inequality
  • Inequalities means that some families have fewer resources than others, which reduces their chances of maintaining stable, caring relationships and increases the risk of conflict and violence
• Materialist explanations do not explain why women rather than men are the main victims of domestic violence
• Marxist feminists see domestic violence as a product of capitalism, where male workers are frustrated at work and take their anger out at home, which helps explain why the main victims are women rather than men