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

Radical feminists see the findings of sociologists like Dobash and Dobash as clear evidence of our patriarchal society, they see that patriarchy has divided society and that men are the enemy. Radical feminists see that men oppress women and exploit them unfairly within society. They also link domestic violence to marriage and the conjugal roles of husband and wife, and that this unit is the main source of the oppression of women. Radical feminists see the domestic violence is inevitable as long as we live in a patriarchal society as it preserves the power that men hold over women. This is their explanation as to why institutions involving the police and courts are reluctant to deal with domestic violence is because we live in a male headed society. Radical feminists give a sociological rather than psychological explanation for domestic violence within society; they argue that violence against women is a part of a patriarchal system that maintains men’s power. Radical feminists fail to explain female violence such as female to male abuse or child abuse.

In addition to partner violence, there are also other forms of domestic violence towards other groups of people, these include; children and young people; those in the lowest social classes; those on low incomes. Reasons to explain this could be that these lower class family have an extra pressure from financial struggle to provide for their family, this pressure could end up being taken out on the children as a way of relieving the stress of having to raise a ‘socially acceptable’ family on little income. Wilkinson backs up this explanation by arguing that domestic violence is the result of stressed family members caused by social inequality. Those families on low incomes are more likely to experience higher levels of stress, which lessens their ability to provide caring relationships and increases the chance of violence nd conflict within the family.

To conclude, Wilkinson and Mirrlees-Black findings both show that not all people in society are equally in danger of suffering from domestic violence as those with less power, status, wealth and income are generally at a greater risk because the different amount of stresses and strains upon people can differ depending on one or more of these four factors. Leading to tension and resulting to violence within the home.