Domestic violence

What is domestic violence?

any incident or patterns of incidents of psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional violence or abuse

What are two arguments for domestic violence not being the behaviour of a few sick individuals?

1. Domestic violence is too widespread

2. Domestic violence does not occur randomly

Domestic violence is too widespread

P: Domestic violence is too widespread to be a work of few disturbed individuals.

E: According to the Women’s Aid Federation (2014), domestic violence accounts for between a sixth and quarter of all recorded violent crime.

E: Therefore, domestic violence should not be treated as a rare incident as it is a major and widespread properly within our society.

Domestic violence does not occur randomly

P: There are patterns for domestic violence and it does not occur randomly. The most common pattern is that domestic violence includes violence against women by men

E: Coleman argues that women are more likely to have experienced ‘intimate partner violence’ → Coleman and Osbourne found that two women are killed a week by a current or former partner.

E: Dobash and Dobash found that this could be brought out by incidents ghT. oils be zerg off by haha a husband saw as a challenge to his authority → why was he late home → Marriage legitmates power and authority

Why is it hard to count domestic violence?

Dar argue that abuse may be continuous or people may be under a constant threat

What are two problems with official statistics?

1. Unwilling to report

2. Police and prosecutors may be reluctant to record it

Why might victims not report it?

P: Victims may be unwilling to report domestic violence to the police.

E: Yearnshire found that the average woman suffers 35 assaults before making a report → violent crime that is the least likely to be reported

E: Dar argues that this stems from victims believing that the form of violence isn’t worth police time or they won’t be believed → less likely to get caught

L:

Police may be reluctant to report it

P: Police and prosecutors may be reluctant to record, investigate and prosecute this cases

E: Cheal argues this is due to agencies not wanting to get involved in family life. Family is perceived as a private sphere so access should be limited. The family is a good thing so people neglect the darker side and individuals are free agents so women are free to leave. However, women are often financially dependent and are unable to leave.

What are the two explanations for domestic violence?

1. Radical feminist

2. Material

Radical feminist explanation

P: Radical feminists argue that domestic violence is evidence of the patriarchy

E: Millett and Firestone argue that all societies have been founded on the patriarchy. Men are the enemy as they are the oppressors of women. Family and marriage acts as a key source of oppression through domestic violence or the threat of it.

X Elliot rejects this as not all men are aggressive and most are opposed to domestic violence

Materialist explanation

P: Domestic violence is caused by a lack of financial security. Wilkinson and Pickett viewed domestic violence as a result of stress caused by social inequality.

E: Some families have more resources than the others → more likely to be low income or live in poor housing → damp, cold, mold → more stress

E: There is increased worry about jobs and a lack of money and time restricts their social circle → less power and wealth

X do not explain why women are the main victims not men

New Right

MURRAY - Domestic violence only occurs in Dysfunctional Families. These families include those with teen parents, cohabitation and divorce over a stable marriage. There are higher rates of DV in lower classes due to a low moral standard.

X DV is not limited to the working class

Postmodernist

GIDDENS - Domestic Violence is caused by the emotional intensity and family life. The nature of family life makes domestic violence quite common as family life is characterized by emotional intensity and personal intimacy. Increasing isolation of nuclear family increases intensity and escalations to violence – lack of people to vent to.

X WE CHOOSE OUR FAMILY

Marxist feminist

WILKINSON & PICKETT - Domestic violence is the result of stress on family members caused by social inequality. Having less resources than others can lead to stress and violence out of frustration. Lack of time and money can reduce the social circle and people for support.

ANSLEY – Women are takers of shit, men are frustrated by the oppression they feel at work and take this out on their wives.

X DOESNT EXPLAIN MALE VICTIMS