Domestic Violence Flashcards
What is the Marxist Feminist explanation for domestic violence?
-Inequality caused DV
-Ansley: women are ‘takers of shit’
-Dv is the product of capitalism not patriarchy- males are exploited and take out anger on their wives
-Fails to explain why not all male workers commit violence against their partners and doesn’t account for female dv
What is the Materialist explanation for domestic violence?
-Wilkinson and Pickett: see dv as a result of stress on family members caused by social inequality
-Low income families and overcrowded houses are more likely to experience high levels of stress
-Reduces chance if maintaining stable and caring relationships and inc risk of violence e.g jobs, money, lack of time
-Wilkinson and Mireless-Black found not all people are equally at risk- just those of less power, status, wealth and income
-Unlike Rad Fems Wilkinson fails to explain why women are more likely to experience dv than men
What is the Radical Feminist explanation for domestic violence?
-Millet and Firestone: ‘men are the enemy’ and use violence or threat of it to dominate women
-Dobash and Dobash: still cultural support for the view that men have a ‘right’ to ‘discipline’ their wives or partners and major factor of dv is the husbands perception that the wife is not performing her domestic duties to his satisfaction
-Society still accepts giving domestic duties to women
-Many women are economically dependent on men
-So many women who leave abusive relationships return
-Dv is an inevitable feature of patriarchal marriage
-Low conviction rates=maintain patriarchy
-Elliot- most men are opposed to dv and aren’t aggressive
-Rads ignore other factors like age and class
-Fail to explain female violence- child abuse and male partner abuse
-The Crime Survey- 18% of men have experienced dv since 16
