Domestic Violence Flashcards
What are the 5 mean types of abuse
Physical Psychological Neglect Sexual Financial
What is domestic violence?
Physical, psychological, sexual or financial violence that takes place within an intimate or family-type relationship and forms a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour. It may involve partners, ex partners, household members or other relatives.”
Selbourne (1993)
says that the largest category of murder victims in most years is children under the age of five years, at the hands of a family member (about80 children a year since 1985)
Dobash and Dobash (1979)
Interviewed women in women’s refuges in Scotland and used police and court records to research domestic violence.
Dobash and Dobash found that violent incidents could be set off by what a husband saw as a challenge to his authority.
They argue that marriage legitimates violence against women.
Rick insight, qualititive data
Stephanie Yearnshire (1997)
found that on average a woman suffers 35 assaults before making a report. Domestic violence is the violent crime most likely to go unreported.
Is domestic violence a behaviour of few distrurbed individuals? NO, because….
It is too far widespread
It accounts for up to ¼ of all recorded crime (Women’s Aid Federation, 2014)
It does not occur randomly
It follows social patterns which have social causes e.g. IPV is more common with women as the victim
David Cheal 1991
found that this reluctance is due to the fact that Police and other state agencies are not prepared to become involved in the family. They make 3 assumptions about the family…
The Police and other state agencies are not prepared to become involved in the family. They make 3 assumptions about the family…
1) The family is a private sphere so access to it by the state agencies should be limited.
2) The family is a good thing and so agencies tend to neglect the ‘darker side’ of family life.
3) Individuals are free agents, so it is assumed that if a woman is experiencing abuse she is free to leave.
Criticisms of the Radical Feminist view point - FAITH ROBERTSON ELLIOT (1996)
rejects radical ideals of patriarchy in the family. Not all men are aggressive or violent. Radical feminists tend to ignore this.
Criticisms of the Radical Feminist view point - MIRLEES BLACK found:
That 1 in 7 men had also been assaulted and 1 in 20 repeatedly so.
Criticisms of the Radical Feminist view point - MIRLEES-Black identified other social groups at a higher risk of domestic violence
Children and young people
Those in lower social classes
Those who live in rented accommodation
Drug users and those with high levels of alcohol consumption
RICHARD WILKINSON (1996) - his viewpoint on domestic violence
Domestic violence is the result of stress on family members caused by social inequality.
Inequality means that some families have fewer resources than others such as income and housing.”
Lower income, higher levels of stress -> overcrowded accommodation as a result reduces chance of maintaining a relationship consequently increasing risk of conflict and violence
Worries about money, jobs and housing may spill over into domestic conflict as tempers become frayed.”
CRITICISM OF RICHARD WILKINSON
Unlike the radical feminist approach, Wilkinson does not explain why women rather than men are the main victims.
Also fails to explain why wealthy people commit domestic abuse.
Hester and Radford (1996)
studied domestic violence and the law.
They suggested that male dominance in families does still exist
The law was not very helpful
When divorce had taken place because of male violence towards the woman, this wasn’t taken into account when making custody arrangements for children. Males could still control and abuse their ex-wives after the marriage had ended.
Lockhurst (1999)
studied male victims of domestic violence
The problem of woman on man violence is ‘underestimated, under researched and under funded’
