What do sociologists think about domestic violence?

Question 1

Coleman

Answer 1

• women were more likely than men to have experienced ‘intimate violence’ across all four types of abuse, partner abuse, family abuse, sexual assault and stalking

Question 2

Dobash and Dobash

Answer 2

• argue that marriage legitimates violence against women by conferring power and authority on husbands and dependency on wives

Question 3

Dar

Answer 3

• it’s difficult to count separate domestic violence incidents because abuse may be continuous
• victims of domestic violence are less likely than other victims to report

Question 4

Yearnshire (provides official statistics)

Answer 4

• on average, a woman suffers 35 assaults before making a report

Question 5

Cheal (regarding official statistics)

Answer 5

• explains the reluctance of police and prosecutors as them not being prepared to be involved in the family

Question 6

Elliot (provides evaluation of the radical feminist explanation)

Answer 6

• rejects the radical feminist claim that all men benefit from domestic violence and argue that not all men are aggressive and most are opposed to domestic violence

Question 7

Wilkinson (regarding the materialist explanation)

Answer 7

• see domestic violence as the result of stress on family members caused by social inequality