Year: 2004
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Domestic violence against women is a social problem that occurs in nearly every comer of the world. Recently, some states have begun to recognize that women must be protected from abuse by family members and intimates. While policies and practices designed to protect women have emerged in a number of countries, many lag behind on the issue. This paper will examine the causal factors behind the variation in protection for women. The literature on women and politics suggests that when women are able to directly influence policies, via electoral pressure or participation in decision-making, women-friendly legislation will be more prevalent. Another possibility is the social context of a society determines whether women are able to influence the popular discourse, and therefore, advocate policies that protect women. A variety of statistics were gathered to test these hypotheses. Using bi variate correlation, the political and social influence theories were each tested in order to determine the cause of variation in levels of protection. The fmdings suggest that both direct political influence by women and the social context are important; however, women's representation stands out as the strongest indicator of level of protection. There is a solid argument for the use of affIrmative action policies to increase women's representation as a strategy for increasing protection. THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROBLEM Across the world, women are beaten, tortured, mentally abused, burned, and killed by their intimate relations. Domestic violence is defined as abuse between family members, but for the context of this paper I am specifically referring to abuse against women. Until relatively recently, authorities in many states have ignored or even condoned this type of violence. For example, the phrase rule of comes from Anglo-American common law -a husband was permitted to strike his wife with a stick as long as it was no wider than his thumb (Straus and Gelles 1986). In some cultures, domestic violence remains an acceptable means for a husband to discipline his wife. Experts generally agree that domestic violence is used to keep women in a subordinate position within the household (Seager, 2003; Straus and Gelles, 1986). Men use physical abuse against women in order to 'keep them in their place' -to exert their power as the dominant figure in the household. Historically, domestic violence has been considered a private
Author: Mollie Whitehead
Institution: Illinois Wesleyan University
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2161217539