Domestic Violence

Question 1

What is domestic violence?

Answer 1

Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality

Question 2

What study do we look at for domestic violence?

Answer 2

• Dobash and Dobash

- Violence against wives 1980

Question 3

Describe Dobash’s and Dobash’s study?

Answer 3

• 109 interviews with women who had experienced domestic violence
• women ranged in age from 16-60
• open ended, standardised interviews by two female assistants in the first few days of entering refuge

Question 4

What were some of Dobash and Dobash’s findings?

Answer 4

• violent incidents could be set off b what a man saw as a challenge to his authority
• they argue that marriage legitimates violence towards women
• wives often tried to understand violence in their own behaviour
• 88% had left at some stage and then gone back
• children were rated highly as reasons for leaving and staying

Question 5

Which social groups are more at risk to domestic violence?

Answer 5

• Children and younger women
• Those is lower social classes
• Those in rented accommodation
• Low incomes or in financial difficulty
• High levels of drug use or alcohol consumption
• Those with long term illness or disability

Question 6

Yearnshire found…

Answer 6

That on average a women suffers 35 assaults before making a report and that domestic violence is the least likely crime to be reported

Question 7

Cheap argues that…

Answer 7

• Police may be unwilling to record or investigate the crimes because they make the following assumptions about family life:
• the family is a private sphere
• the family is a good thing so ignore its darker side
• individuals are free agents, able to leave an abusive relationship

Question 8

What is the radical feminist explanation of domestic violence

Answer 8

• Millet and Firestone
• all societies have been founded on patriarchy
• men are the enemy and exploiters of women
• male domination of state institutions helps explain why police wont interfere

Question 9

What are the criticisms of the radical feminist outlook

Answer 9

Radical feminists have failed to explain female violence or which women are most likely to be at risk

Question 10

What is the materialistic explanation of domestic violence

Answer 10

• emphasises economic factors such as lack or resources
• Wilkinson : violence results from stress on family members caused by social inequality
• lack of money restricts peoples social circles and support networks, which can result in social isolation