Darker side of the family

Question 1

2/3 of murders

Answer 1

involve a partner or an ex-partner

Question 2

1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men

Answer 2

suffer some form of domestic violence in their lifetime

Question 3

89% of incidents of domestic violence

Answer 3

are committed by men

Question 4

every year 150 people are killed by a current or former partner, and

Answer 4

80% of them are women

Question 5

Female victims of domestic violence suffer on average 35-37 assaults over a period of 7 years

Answer 5

before informing any agencies

Question 6

2/3 of domestic violence victims

Answer 6

do not seek help because they are afraid the violence will get worse, are ashamed or see it as a private matter (1 in 4 incidents are reported to the police)

Question 7

1 in 20 reported domestic assaults

Answer 7

lead to a conviction

Question 8

Women may not leave abusive partners because

Answer 8

of fear, shame and embarrassment, financial insecurity, lack of alternative housing and concerns about disruption to their children’s lives

Question 9

Rape in marriage

Answer 9

• more than 1 in 4 women have been raped
• most rapes are committed by men on their female partners
• up to 95% of rapes are unreported
• 3/4 of rapes happen at the home of the victim or offender
• nearly half of rapes within marriage are accompanied by actual or threatened violence, and 1/5 victims suffer physical injury
• marital rape only became a crime in 1991
• 6% of reported rapes lead to a conviction and the most difficult cases to prove their was no consent are those in marriage or cohabiting relationships

Question 10

Feminist explanations for domestic violence

Answer 10

• radical feminists view it as a way for men to exercise patriarchal power, to control and intimidate women and to dominate over them
• marxist feminist emphasise structural factors - inc social deprivation which may lead to stress and disputes about money and cultures of violence - as well as the patriarchy
• Dobash and Dobash (1992, radical feminists) suggest male violence is a way of enforcing female submission and that this is tolerated and reinforced by political and cultural institutions
• Ganley and Schechter (1995) suggest that violence against women is a result of gender inequality with violence being used by men to assert control and power over women
• feminists of all kinds agree that domestic violence is rooted in inequality and can only be tackled by improving women’s position and government changes (eg to CJS)