Couples - Domestic Abuse

Question 1

Home Office definition of domestic violence and abuse in 2013

Answer 1

“Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those age 16 and over who are or have been intimate partners”

Question 2

When did the domestic abuse definition change from the Home Office 2013 definition?

Answer 2

In 2021 due to the Domestic Abuse Act

Question 3

According to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, when is the behaviour of person a to person b domestic abuse?

Answer 3

If a and b are both over 16 and personally connected with each other
If the behaviour is abusive

Question 4

According to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, when is behaviour abusive?

Answer 4

If it includes:
-Physical or sexual abuse
-Violent or threatening behaviour
-Controlling or coercive behaviour
-Economic abuse
-Psychological, emotional or other abuse

Question 5

Economic abuse

Answer 5

Any behaviour that has substantial adverse effects on b’s ability to acquire, use or maintain money, property, good or services

Question 6

How many times must the abusive behaviour occur for it to count as domestic abuse?

Answer 6

It doesn’t matter if it happens on numerous occasions or if it only happens once

Question 7

What do many people believe domestic abuse is the behaviour of? (Common view)

Answer 7

The behaviour of a few disturbed or ‘sick’ individuals due to psychological issues, rather than social

Question 8

Reason for sociologists disagreeing with common view of domestic abuse: widespread

Answer 8

DA is far too widespread to be simply the work of a few disturbed individuals

Question 9

What fraction of violent crime is DA according to Women’s Aid?

Answer 9

Between 1/6 and 1/4

Question 10

Large scale survey of crime

Answer 10

Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)

Question 11

What percentage of adults experienced DA between March 2021 and March 2022?

Answer 11

5% (2.4 million)

Question 12

Reason for sociologists disagreeing with common view of domestic abuse: patterns

Answer 12

DA does not happen randomly, it follows particular social patterns which have social causes

Question 13

Who found that women are more likely than men to have experienced intimate abuse?

Answer 13

Coleman

Question 14

What can set off violent incidents from a husband according to Dobash and Dobash?

Answer 14

A husband believing his authority is challenged (E.g. if his wife asks him why he is home late for dinner)

Question 15

What do Dobash and Dobash believe about marriage?

Answer 15

They believe it legitimates abuse against women by conferring power/authority on husbands and dependence on wives

Question 16

When do DA incidents increase by 38% according to research carried out by the University of Lancaster?

Answer 16

When England lose football matches

Question 17

What gender differences did the Office of National Statistics (ONS) find last year?

Answer 17

Estimated 6.9% of women (1.7 million) and 3.0% of men (699,000) experienced DA last year

Question 18

Who stated that women are more likely than men to be victims of multiple incidents of DA?

Answer 18

Walby and Allen

Question 19

Extent of DA for women according to Ansara and Hinden

Answer 19

Women suffer more severe violence and DA will have more psychological effects on them

Question 20

Possible reason why less men are victims of DA than women?

Answer 20

Half of male victims fail to tell anyone they are a victims (2.5% less likely to tell than women)

Question 21

Problem of official statistics for DA: police/prosecutor reluctance

Answer 21

According to Cheal, they may be reluctant to record, investigate or prosecute DA cases that are reported to them due to reluctance to be involved in the family

Question 22

What three assumptions about the family do police/prosecutors? (Reason for their reluctance)

Answer 22

It’s private so not their business
Neglect dark side of family, believing family is safe environment
Assume that victims are free to leave the home/relationship

Question 23

Why aren’t women easily able to leave an abusive partner?

Answer 23

Because they are often financially dependent on their partner

Question 24

Problem of official statistics for DA: conviction rates

Answer 24

Conviction rates of DA are extremely low, making it likely that official statistics are incorrect

Question 25

Problem of official statistics for DA: victims reporting DA to police

Answer 25

Victims may not want to report DA to the police

Question 26

How many assaults do women victims of DA suffer from before reporting DA to the police according to Yearnshire?

Answer 26

35 assaults

Question 27

Why are victims unwilling to report DA to the police according to Dar?

Answer 27

Because they believe it’s not a police matter

Question 28

Four explanations for DA

Answer 28

Radical feminist explanation Materialist definition Culture, history and social structure Masculinity and violence

Question 29

Reason for DA according to Dobash and Dobash

Answer 29

Challenge to male authority

Question 30

What do radical feminists interpret Dobash and Dobash’s findings as? (Radical feminist explanation)

Answer 30

Evidence of patriarchy

Question 31

What are the family and marriage according to radical feminists? (Radical feminist explanation)

Answer 31

The key institutions of patriarchal society Main source of women’s oppression

Question 32

What is investable in patriarchal society and why according to radical feminists? (Radical feminist explanation)

Answer 32

Widespread DA is inevitable to maintain the power than men have over women

Question 33

Who rejects the claim of radical feminists that all men benefit from DA against women? (Evaluation of radical feminist explanation)

Answer 33

Faith Robertson Elliot

Question 34

Why does Faith Robertson Elliot reject radical feminist claims? (Evaluation of radical feminist explanation)

Answer 34

They argue that not all men are aggressive and most oppose DA

Question 35

What do radical feminists fail to explain? (Evaluation of radical feminist explanation)

Answer 35

Female DA

Question 36

What percentage of men have experienced DA according to the 2013 CSEW?

Answer 36

18%

Question 37

What does the radical feminist explanation wrongly assume? (Evaluation of radical feminist explanation)

Answer 37

Wrongly assumes that all women are equally at risk of patriarchal violence as the ONS found that people from certain social groups are at greater risk of DA

Question 38

Examples of social groups that are at greater risk of DA

Answer 38

Low social classes Living in shared or rented accommodation Those with long-term illnesses High level consumers of drugs/alcohol

Question 39

What does the materialist explanation focus on?

Answer 39

The economic and material factors to explain why some groups are more at risk than others

Question 40

Examples of economic and material factors (materialist explanation

Answer 40

Income Housing inequalities

Question 41

What do Wilkinson and Pickett see DA as result of? (Materialist explanation)

Answer 41

Result of stress on family due to social inequities

Question 42

What increases the risk of conflict and violence between partners? (Materialist explanation)

Answer 42

High levels of stress due to low income and poor living conditions

Question 43

What is Wilkinson and Pickett’s approach useful for doing? (Evaluation of materialist explanation)

Answer 43

Useful for explaining the class differences in DA stats

Question 44

What do Wilkinson and Pickett fail to explain? (Evaluation of materialist explanation)

Answer 44

Fail to explain why women are the main victims of DA

Question 45

Who is Ansley?

Answer 45

A Marxist feminist

Question 46

What does Ansley describe wives as?

Answer 46

“Takers of shit”

Question 47

Who says DA is a product of capitalism?

Answer 47

Ansley

Question 48

Why is DA a product of capitalism according to Ansley?

Answer 48

Because male workers are exploited by workforce and take their anger out on their wives

Question 49

According to the culture, history and social structure explanation of domestic abuse, how has violence of husbands against their wives been treat historically?

Answer 49

There has been widespread acceptance for violence of husbands

Question 50

Historically, what was male DA reinforced by?

Answer 50

Social institutions

Question 51

Which sociologists looked into the culture, history and social structure explanation of DA?

Answer 51

Dobash and Dobash

Question 52

According to the culture, history and social structure explanation of domestic abuse, what does D and D say contemporary culture continues to accept?

Answer 52

Contemporary culture continues to accept that it is appropriate and reasonable for husbands to use force to control their wives

Question 53

According to the culture, history and social structure explanation of domestic abuse, what do D and D say about expectations of husbands?

Answer 53

Husbands are still expected to be dominant in families

Question 54

According to the culture, history and social structure explanation of domestic abuse, what type of institutions are families according to D and D?

Answer 54

Patriarchal institutions

Question 55

According to the culture, history and social structure explanation of domestic abuse, what attitudes does a wide culture reinforce?

Answer 55

A wide culture reinforces attitudes that DA is used to ensure wives carry out their ‘duties’ as mothers and wives, so tolerate DA

Question 56

According to the culture, history and social structure explanation of domestic abuse, what situations did DA usually come from according to a D and D 1998 study?

Answer 56

Situations where interests of husband and wife diverged and the men wanted to ensure that their interests prevailed

Question 57

According to the culture, history and social structure explanation of domestic abuse, what were key factors of DA according to D and D’s 1998 study?

Answer 57

Possessiveness and jealousy

Question 58

According to the masculinity and violence explanation for DA, who is DA more commonly used by according to D and D?

Answer 58

DA is far more commonly used by men against their female partners than by women against men

Question 59

According to the masculinity and violence explanation for DA, what is DA seen as a part of by D and D?

Answer 59

DA is seen as a part of the masculine identity

Question 60

What are important signs of masculine worth?

Answer 60

Force and intimidation

Question 61

According to the masculinity and violence explanation for DA, how do most male domestic abusers excuse their actions?

Answer 61

They say they were pushed into it and have no choice but to respond forcefully to challenges to authority by women