The media is often used to raise people’s awareness akin to the “break the chain” leaflet issued by the government. The NSPCC use adverts to increase awareness and ask for donations to help the children involved in domestic violence. They also use billboards in raising awareness. Domestic violence is everywhere and involves all types of people. Many stories of domestic violence are often reported in the national papers and seen in films and television shows. As well as raising awareness it doesn’t always have a positive effect. Often when a documentary or soap opera shows domestic violence in their television programme they provide a contact number at the end for anyone who is experiencing domestic violence. Viewers such as young children could see this violence as normal behaviour. Not only seeing domestic violence on television but also watching violent scenes in films and cartoons. An example of violent films effecting the way children react was the case of Jamie Bulger. Two boys of thirteen and fourteen abducted Jamie and murdered him. They were viewed to have been influenced by films of 18 certificate, which other family members had watched with them.
A large determinant of domestic violence can be due to stress created by employment and finances. Stress can also be caused by a number of things in the work place. Such things include pressure from deadlines, pressure to perform (depending on the job: e.g. professional athlete.), and pressure from employers and colleagues as well as abuse in the form of bullying. On the other hand the subject may have a very good reputation in the company as getting sales and may experience stress in trying to maintain that reputation. As well as stress from employment their can also be stress caused by unemployment and trying to find a job. The pressure from family and friends put on the subject to get a job. All this stress can lead to the subject returning from work very angry and take the anger out on another member of the family in the form of domestic violence. Many employers have stress management sessions for their employees to attend. A lack of employment links it to the other determinant of finance and trying to find the money to cope with finances and bills. This can cause stress in two ways. The first is being that the subject hasn’t got a job and is struggling to pay bills, leading them to domestic violence. The second is a job that is only paying minimum wage and is not enough to pay for bills. This may be because of the subject’s educational status. If it is poor then the likelihood of getting a well-paid job is not good. Both of these factors can lead to stress and therefore domestic violence. A small income can also mean that the environment that you live in isn’t the best. For example you may live in a run down council flat that has very violent neighbours and an area that has a very high crime rate. A violent atmosphere can lead people to be aggressive and violent. A person can also be influenced to using domestic violence by the environment in which he or she has grown up. If the person had come from an area where there was a lot of violence then there is more chance of them being a violent person. The people or friends that the person hung about with as a child may be violent and influence him/ her into a violent nature of life, were violence is the answer to problems. The adult may also have seen domestic violence when he/ she was a child through their parents. 50 years ago there was no policy on domestic violence and therefor as a child may have been brought up believing that it is was acceptable behaviour. The way the person grows up can also influence lifestyle another determinant for domestic violence. If the lifestyle of the person is a violent one where they drink a lot then the chance of domestic violence is high. The stereotypical image is one where the man returns from the pub drunk and beats up his wife. This scenario is often used in soap operas. Alcohol can have a huge effect in people’s behaviour as it can make people more violent and aggressive. This on top of being stressed could lead the person into assaulting a member of his her family when they return home. However if the subject has a healthier lifestyle, which involves him or her in activities such as regular visits to the gym or is a member of a football team, they are less likely to be highly stressed as sport can act as a way to relieve stress. Sport acts like this because it allows a person to vent their anger as it is often seen as ok to make hard challenges that will harm the opponent. Leisure activities can have a positive effect on a person in many ways. However it could also have negative effects for example: the offender of domestic violence is a boxer, this could lead to the victim being very seriously injured as he or she is trained to fight and cause injury.
A major determinant into domestic violence can be the subjects’ personal relationships with family and friends. In terms of the male being violent towards the women, this could be that if they have a poor relationship where they continually argue, then domestic violence is likely to occur. An argument where the man feels he is right but the women continues to argue and he loses his cool and assaults her. The cause of this could be argument over finances, marital problems or problems over children. Parents may also use violence as a way of disciplining a child and not feel that there is anything wrong with doing so. A persistently naughty child may drive a parent to lash out and hit the child. The better a personal relationship is the more chance domestic violence will not occur. If the families do more activities together and socialise more the relationships can improve and problems may be sorted by discussing them instead of arguing.
Social class is the next determinant. If a person is in the lower working class, then they are likely to have very little qualifications linking into educational status previously mentioned. These people may work every day all-day and only come out at the end of the month with enough money to pay for bills and no or few luxuries. This can cause the person to become stressed and this can increase the chance of domestic violence.
Another determinant of domestic violence is ethnicity. Ethnicity can influence domestic violence through racism. For example if a white women has had a previous relationship with a black male and they had a child together, then she found a white male as a new partner, the man may be racist and abuse the child because of the child ethnicity. Another example of ethnicity, which also applies to the determinant culture, is arranged marriages. Certain religions have arranged marriages and this could lead to domestic violence. Some arranged marriages today do not work out, many people prefer to have a say in who they choose to marry as it is a major commitment. Having to get married to a stranger because of their religion may anger them, and if this person is an aggressive person they may take it out on the other person in the form of violence. There is often then a reluctance to discuss of the abuse received from their partner as it may bring shame on their family, as well as wanting to preserve a marriage and fearing the batterer. Often culture can also be a problem in the event of domestic violence if there is a language problem. For example an ethnic women married to an English male abuser. As she has a communication problem with local people and authorities she may not understand her basic human rights.
Poor social policies can impact upon family life and consequently be a determinant factor in incidences of domestic violence. Unemployment can breed drug and alcohol abuse and / or stress and feeling of worthlessness. Subsequently this can lead to frustration and domestic violence can occur. The Labour Government’s 1997 Manifesto outlined the need to strengthen family life. It stated that “Families should provide the day – to – day support for children to be brought up in a stable and loving environment. But families cannot flourish unless government plays its distinctive role: in education; where necessary, in caring for the young; …in supporting good parenting; and in protecting families from lawlessness and abuse of power.” It is on this basis that the Government’s Welfare to Work programme was established. As part of that programme, The New Deal for Lone Parents, for example, aims to enable lone parents to become employable and therefore become independent. This could help in cases where women feel trapped in a violent relationship because they have no independent means of income. Also New Deal for Unemployed Partners is a means by which an individual could obtain a job and thus become less dependent on the other partner.
As referred too earlier, Social Services provide safe houses and women refuge centres for vulnerable women. However these are usually temporary arrangements and it is important that as a long term measure that there is good, affordable housing. The current government supports a three-way partnership between the public private and housing association sector to promote good social housing. The recent comprehensive spending review has highlighted again the need to drive forward the housing policy as part of the overall need to address poverty and deprivation.
Domestic violence is found at all economic and class levels. Sigler in his research in 1989 noted that “race, religion, social class, income, and education are not consistently related to being a batterer.” However he did acknowledge that one's level of income may be related to battering. It has also been found that that there were higher rates of abuse in poor, blue-collar families and that in general, there is a consistent decrease in violence as income levels go up. Straus et al, (1980). Steinmetz (1986). Okun (1986) comments that unemployed and under-employed men are more likely to engage in wife battering. Since men are socialised into believing that they must be the family breadwinners and failure to live up to this responsibility may be a characteristic of abusive husbands. Despite this Langley and Levy, (1977) note that the stereotyped wife beater does not exist. That is, the wife beater is not necessarily of lower class. Nor is he probably black, on welfare, and living in a ghetto.
Research has shown that domestic violence can emanate in any home irrespective of age, community, income level, race, or religious group.
Bibliography
- The Labour Party Manifesto for the 1997 “UK” General Election
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