Domestic violence

Home office definition of domestic abuse

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 or sexuality

DV statistics

the police receive a domestic abuse related phone call every 30 seconds

1 in 4 women in their lifetime experience domestic abuse

84% of DV victims are female

facts and patterns identified by sociologists

According to Coleman and Asborne (2010) 2 women a week are killed by a partner or ex

According to womens aid federation dv accounts for between 1/6 and ¼ of all recorded violent crime

women were much more likely than men to be fearful of their partners

women were more likely than men to have experienced intimate violence across all four types of abuse

why do official statistics not realistically represent the extent of domestic violence?

victims may be unwilling to report it to the police. on average a woman suffers 35 assaults before making a report. this may be because they believe it is not a matter for the police

police and prosecutors may be reluctant to record investigate or prosecute those cases that are reported. may be because the police are not prepared to become involved in the family. they make three assumptions: the family is a private sphere, it is a good thing and the individuals are free agents who are free to leave

materialist explanation of dv (Fran Ansley, Wilkinson and Pickett)

dv is the result of the stress on family members of an economically unequal society. those on low incomes and experiencing hardship, money worries and a lack of time have higher levels of stress and this only increases the risk of conflict and violence. according to marxist feminists women are the takers of shirt from the economy leading to domestic violence

strengths of materialist view

useful in showing how social inequality produces stress and triggers conflict and violence in families

marxist feminists e.g. fran Ansley agree. describes wives as the takers of shit. dv is the product of capitalism; male workers are exploited at work and so take out their frustrations on wives

weaknesses of materialist view

does not explain why women rather than men are the main victims

doesnt explain why not all male workers commit acts of violence against their partners

radical feminist explanation of dv (shulamith Firestone, Kate millet)

dv is a result of patriarchy in society and so dv is an inevitable feature of it. institutions like marriage only serve to maintain male dominance over women. this also explains why the police and courts fail to deal with domestic violence effectively men are the enemy the oppressors and exploiters of women

weaknesses of the radical feminist view

Elliot 1996 says that not all men are aggressive and most are opposed to dv which radical feminists ignore

fail to explain female violence including child abuse violence against male partners and within lesbian relationships, 18% of victims are men

they wrongly assume that all women are equally at risk of patriarchal violence. fail to explain which women are most likely to be victims e.g. young women, low income, long term illness