Domestic Violence
Sociology: AQA A Level, topic 4.4.6
Statistics About Domestic Abuse
According to this NHS website: "domestic violence, also called domestic abuse, includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse in couple relationships or between family members".
Violence against women
- Statistically, women are more likely to be the victims: 7 in 100 women and 4 in 100 men (ONS 2019) will suffer domestic abuse from a partner.
- A study by Yearshire suggests that on average, women experience 35 assaults before informing the police.
- In ‘Intimate intrusions:women’s experience of male violence’, Stanko focuses on the victimisation experienced by women.
Rape in marriage
- Rape in marriage is also a form of domestic abuse. It is said to be unreported as individuals can be intimidated to come forward and report cases due to fear and embarrassment. In 2017, nearly a third of victims (31%) did not tell anyone about their experiences (ONS).
- Marital rape is a form of sexual assault and became illegal in 1991 through the Court of Appeal.
Cheal: police hesitancy
- Cheal argues that state organisations such as the police are hesitant to become involved in domestic violence cases as the families are considered private .
Sociological Theories on Domestic Abuse
Many theories attempt to explain the causes of domestic violence. Psychological explanations consider the offender’s personality whilst social factors consider the individual’s wider environment.
Radical feminists
- Believe that domestic violence occurs as a result of patriarchal structures in society.
- Violence keeps women under control and denies women their most basic human rights.
- This view has been criticised by Melanie Phillips, who argues that women are equally as violent towards men.
- The British Crime Survey claims 40% of domestic violence victims are male.
Marxist feminists
- Also considers social deprivation elements like money and women’s perceived lower status in society.
- In ‘Violence Against Wives’, Dobash and Dobash suggest that violence extends control over women and there has been little societal intervention to support the victims. They also argue that several women are financially dependent on their husbands so often cannot leave or have to return due to their economic circumstances.
New Right
- Maintain that violence is only prevalent in unstable families, possibly as a result of increasing numbers of cohabiting couples and divorces.
- This supports their view that traditional, nuclear families with married parents are the best unit of organisation for familial stability.
Test yourself on Domestic Violence
Who argues that state organisations such as the police are hesitant to become involved in domestic violence cases?
Who argues that women are equally as violent towards men as men are towards women?
What social deprivation elements might Marxist feminists consider, in relation to the causes of domestic abuse?