The inclusion of men in domestic violence shelters: an everlasting debate

Abstract

Despite the fact that the inclusion of men constitutes a polarising issue that has created tensions and divisions throughout the history of domestic violence shelters, very little has been written on this issue. This paper specifically addresses this gap in the literature. Drawing upon the results of a doctoral thesis conducted with 48 advocates, the authors argue that the participants’ perspectives on the inclusion of men as workers or administrators in domestic violence shelters can be analysed from an axiological viewpoint. More specifically, the rationale underlying the participant’s position to support or to oppose men’s inclusion in shelters can be linked to core values underpinning shelters’ practices. This leads to three observations: 1) The inclusion of men clashes with a set of core values that guide the practices of participants who do consider the presence of men problematic; 2) Men are considered a positive addition in the shelters of participants who promote male inclusion, based on a different interpretation of similar values; 3) Men as ‘positive role model’, a crosscutting argument among those who promote their inclusion, is not related to any core values underlying shelters’ practices and raises two issues, which will be discussed in the paper.