Domestic Violence

• What does the Women’s Aid Federation find about domestic violence?

  Domestic violence is wide spread and not the work of a few individual, with domestic violence accounting for between 1/6 and 1/4 of all reported crime.
• How many people reported domestic violence according to the England and Wales Crime survey?

  2 million.
• What did Coleman find about domestic abuse?

  It doesn’t occur randomly, instead women were more likely to have experienced intimate violence than men.
• Who found 1/3 of female homiacide victims are women?

  Coleman and Osborne.
• What did Dobash and Dobash report about how domestic violence occurs?


  It was usually set off by a husband seeing his wife as challenging him.
• What did Dobash and Dobash argue about marriage?

  It legitimatizes abuse against women by conforming to a power dynamic with wives dependent on their husbands.
• Who found that women were more likely to be victims of multiple incidents of abuse?

  Allen and Walby.
• What does Dar point out about seperate domestic violence incidents ?


  It can be hard to count incidents because may happen regularly or happen so much a victim can’t recount.
• Who found that women suffer harsher acts of abuse?

  Ansara and Hindin.
• Why are official statistics unreliable with domestic abuse?

  A victim may be unwilling to report as Yearnshire found on average women suffer 35 assaults before reporting.

  Police see domestic abuse as a private matter and tend to stay away from getting involved.
• What three assumptions do police make about family life?

  The family is private.

  That family is a good thing and can’t be negative.

  That women can report as they are free agents in their decisions.
• What are two explanations of domestic violence?

  The radical feminist perspective.

  The material explanation.
• Who argues that all societies are founded in patriarchy?

  Millet and Firestone.
• What do radical feminists view marriage as?

  The key institution in patriarchy, where men dominate women through domestic threat.
• What do radical feminists believe domestic abuse is in society?

  Inevitable.
• What do radical feminists believe patriarchy explains?

  Why women are a major target for domestic violence.
• What do radical feminists argue that a male dominated state does?

  Explain police reluctance to intervene.
• What does Elliot say about the Radical feminists view on domestic violence?

  Not all men are aggressive and most are opposed to domestic violence.
• What do radical feminists fail to explain?

  Why 13.8% of men have experienced domestic abuse and why lesbian abuse occurs.
• What do radical feminists fail to explain about how susceptible to abuse women are?

  That some are more susceptible than others.

  • Younger women.
  • Low income family.
  • Those with disabilities.
• What do Picket and Wilkinson argue about domestic violence and money?

  Low income families have crowed spaces leading to higher stress.

  Worries about jobs and money.

  Lack of money restricts peoples social circle and this reduces support when in stress.
• What does Wilkinson and Pickett’s study show?

  Not all people are as susceptible to abuse as others, like those from low income families.
• What does Wilkinson and Pickett’s study fail to explain?

  Why women are more likley to be victims.
• Who agrees with Wilkinson and Pickett?

  Marxists like Fran Ansley.