COUPLES: Domestic violence Flashcards
Define the term ‘dark side of the family’
Is the hidden side of the family that addresses internal issues like domestic violence and abuse (sexual, physical and emotional).
Give a statistic about the likeliness of domestic abuse of UK girls
41% of UK girls aged 14-17 in an intimate relationship has experienced some form of sexual violence from their partner
Why do sociologists argue against the view that domestic violence is only caused by a ‘few sick individuals’
- And give statistical evidence and explanations backing up these refutes
- It’s too far widespread (radical feminist explanation)
(CRIME SURVEY FOR ENGLAND AND WALES found 2 mil. people reported being victims of domestic abuse in 2012 - so it can’t be just a ‘few’ sick individuals) - It doesn’t occur randomly
(Follows social patterns, like male violence against women - COLEMAN ET AL found women more likely than men to have experienced intimate violence across all 4 types of abuse)
How does Dobash and Dobash’s (radical feminists) study of domestic violence support the notion that domestic violence does follow a social pattern
- Study
- Findings
- How does marriage impact all of this
- What a limitation of their study
STUDY: Looked at police and court records and interviews with women in womens refuges
FINDINGS: Violet incidents could be set off by what was perceived as a challenge to husbands’ authority
MARRIAGE: It legitimates the violence against women by conferring power and authority on husbands and dependency on wives
LIMITATION: Doesn’t tell us the severity or the effects of the domestic violence suffered
How do sociologists Ansara + hindin show an even deeper analysis into the study of domestic violence of it being a social pattern, and not the work of a few sick individuals
ANSARA + HINDIN: Women suffered more severe violence with psychological effects and constant fear of their partner.
Dar
- What does she say about quantifying domestic violence incidents
WHAT: It’s hard to count separate incidents because abuse may be continuous, or may happen so often the victim can’t reliably count the incidents
What are the 2 major issues with crime statistics
1) Victims may be unwilling to report it to the police
2) Police and prosecutors may be reluctant to record or prosecute those cases
“Victims may be unwilling to report” Sociologists evidence
- Yearnshire
- Dar
YEARNSHIRE: On average, women face 35 assaults before making a report
DAR: DV victims are less likely to report than other victims since they feel its not a matter for the police/too trivial/fear of reprisals
“Police may be unwilling to report” Sociologists evidence
- Cheal - Why, 3 assumptions, statistic
- Radical feminists
WHY: Because the police and other agencies aren’t to becoming involved in the family
3 ASSUMPTIONS are made about the family life: it is a private sphere, family is a good thing = ignoring the dark side of the family, individuals are free agents = the liberty to leave harmful conditions, which is not actually true
STATISTIC: the 2006-11 conviction rates stood at a mere 6.5% of cases reports
RADICAL FEMINISTS: Would see this as the product of the inherently patriarchal, and therefore male domination of social institutions, which explains the reluctance of police to deal effectively with domestic violence cases against women
What are the two explanations for domestic violence
- Radical feminist / cultural explanation
- Materialist explanation
Radical feminist explanation
- What do they argue overall
- Millet + Firestone (can be used in an introduction)
- What role does family and marriage have in domestic violence
- How do they explain widespread violence
WHAT: Emphasises the role of patriarchal ideas, cultures and institutions
MILLET + FIRESTONE: All societies are founded on patriarchy and men are the enemy and oppresses of women in society
FAMILY + MARRIAGE: men dominate the family through domestic violence and some would say marriage legitimates violence
WIDESPREAD VIOLENCE: Is enviable and preserves the power that all men have over women
Radical feminist explanation - Evaluation
+ (1)
- (4) + 2 statistics
+ It helps explain why most violence is committed by men
- ELLIO; Not all men are aggressive and most are also subject to oppression and violence
- Fails to explain violence committed by females to males or in lesbian relationships - CSEW found 18% have experienced domestic violence since age 16
- Wrongly assumes all women are subject to violence
- Fail to explain which women are most likely to be victims - ONS found particularly vulnerable social groups are majorly subject to violence like young women, low income and social class women or those with illnesses and disabilities
Materialist explanation
- What do they argue overall
- Wilkinson + Pickett -
- What do these sociologists mean by social inequality
WHAT: Emphasises economic factors like lack of resources
WILKINSON + PICKETT: Social inequality which causes stress on family members = DV
SOCIAL INEQUALITY: Some families have fewer resources (eg, those in crowded accommodation) = more likely to experience higher levels of stress = lower chance of maintaining a stable relationship = increase risk of DV
Materialist explanation - Evaluation
(+) 1
(-) 1
+ Shows that not all people are equally at risk of DV, and says who exactly is at risk - showing the class differences
- Doesn’t explain why women are the main victims rather than men
Materialist / Cultural explanation? - Marxist feminists - What do they argue DV is a result of - Ansley, what did she argue (+) 1 (-) 2
DV: Result of inequality and Capitalism
ANSLEY: Women are takers of shit, as male workers are exploited at work and they take out their frustrations on their wives
(+) Explains why women are victims of DV
(-) Doesn’t explain why not all male workers commit acts of DV
(-) Doesn’t explain female DV against men
