Examine the patterns of, and reasons for, domestic violence in society.

Radical feminists e.g. Kate Millett and Shulamith Firestone argue that this is a sign of patriarchy. They believe that widespread domestic violence is a inevitable feature of a patriarchal society and serves to preserve the power that men have over all women. In their view, male domination of state institutions e.g. government, helps to explain the reluctance of the police and courts to deal effectively with cases of domestic violence. They argue that violence against women is part of a patriarchal system that maintains men’s power. This view helps in explaining why most domestic violence is committed by men however they fail to explain female violence, including child abuse by women and violence against male partners (Mirrlees-Black found that about one in seven men have been assaulted and one in twenty repeatedly so).

Marxist feminists believe that women absorb anger that would otherwise be directed at capitalism. Fran Ansley (1972) describes wives as ‘takers of shit’ who soak up the frustration their husbands feel because of the exploitation and alienation they face when at work. For Marxist feminists this explains male domestic violence against women however yet again does not explain the fact that one in seven men have been assaulted by a partner and nor does it explain why most men are opposed to domestic violence.

Domestic violence is quite common in our society. According to the BCS it accounts for almost a sixth of all violence and Mirrlees-Black estimated at approximately 6.6 million domestic assaults a year with half of those including physical violence. Whenever we are considering such statistics it would be wise to remember that the statistics are probably quite dramatically understated as victims may be unwilling to report domestic violence e.g. Yearnshire found that on average a woman suffers 35 assaults before making a report. Domestic violence is the violent crime least likely to be reported. We also have to take into consideration that police and prosecutors may be reluctant to record, investigate or prosecute the cases of domestic violence that are reported to them. Cheal says that this reluctance is down to the fact that they are not prepared to get involved with the family which is seen as a private sphere and so they believe that access from state agencies should be limited. They also believe that the family is a good thing so do not want to investigate the ‘dark side’. Furthermore they believe that individuals are free to leave if they are being abused. However this is not the case as often abused women are financially dependant on their husbands so unable to leave.

This tends to be down to the statistics which have suggested that those in the lowest social classes and those on low incomes or in financial difficulties are the most likely to be abused. Wilkinson (1996) offers an explanation of these statistics. He suggests that domestic violence is the result of stress on family members. This stress which could be caused by social inequality. Inequality means that some families have fewer resources than others such as income and housing. Those on low incomes or living in overcrowded accommodation are likely to experience higher levels of stress. This in turn reduces their chances of having stable, caring relationships and increases the risk of conflict and violence e.g. worries about money, jobs and housing may spill over into domestic violence if tempers flare up. Also lack of money and time restricts peoples social circle and reduces social support for those under stress. Although this theory explains why those in lower social classes are more likely to be abused Wilkinson does not explain why women rather than men are the main victims.