Domestic Violence: Feminist Perspective

Abstract

Abstract Domestic violence is prevalent in most, if not all, countries and cultures in the world (World Health Organization, 2008) and is very hard to detect, as generally the victims are too powerless, fearful, intimidated, or ashamed to disclose the abuse. Central to feminist definitions of domestic violence is the misuse and abuse of power and control by the perpetrators, who are more often than not men, particularly in patriarchal societies where men have more power and control in families and the broader society. More recently it has been recognized that domestic violence also occurs in lesbian and gay relationships and there is evidence that in a small minority of cases men are abused by women, indicating that it is the misuse and abuse of power, not necessarily gender, which is central to understandings of domestic violence. Postmodern feminists also focus on the social construction of masculinities and femininities in a social group or culture and the ways in which they contribute to gendered violence (Weedon, 1987). They also highlight the role that dominant discourses play in the social and cultural meanings given to gender and violence, and to the way that people interpret and respond to the violence (Bagshaw & Chung, 2000). (See gender ‐ based violence ; family violence and abuse .)