Examine the patterns and reasons for domestic violence in society.
Domestic Violence can be physical, psychological, sexual or financial abuse. It involves controlling behaviour from partners, ex-partners, household members & other relatives. Statistics show that domestic violence is mainly against women and 1 in 4 women are assaulted. Domestic violence accounts for 1 in 6 of all violent crimes. Domestic violence tents to run in a generational cycle of abuse and/or a history of abuse in families. Children who grow up in an environment where control is maintained through verbal threats, intimidation and conflicts can escalate into physical violence. Children who have grown up in this environment are more likely to resort to the same methods of abuse as adults. There are a number of factors that may lead to domestic violence in society.
In an environment where violence is either taught, by example, or accepted as “normal” will cause an impact on any child who lives in that environment. For example, if a young boy frequently sees his father come home for work in a bad mood, and watches his father hit his mother, the young boy will begin to see this as ‘normal’ and as the ‘manly’ thing to do.
Millet who is a Radical Feminist says that, all societies are founded on patriarchy and that men are the enemy. She says that the marriage is a patriarchal institution due to the norms of marriage- In the vows a woman says she will 'honour and obey' her husband. Millet states that domestic violence is inevitable in a patriarchal society as it keeps men powerful. She also says that the police are reluctant to deal with domestic violence because a great majority of the police force are men.
However, there are many other views that disagree with Millet. Elliot rejects the claim that all men benefit from domestic violence. Not all men are aggressive. Most oppose to domestic