The last couple things I wanted to add were that domestic violence is an interaction pattern. You can't have an interaction with only one partner. Both partners are responsible for the way they relate to one another. An author (whose name is probably in my notes) who wrote a number of books about violence against women was embraced by the feminist community until she wrote a book about the dynamics of violent relationships, talking about these interaction patterns. She was totally shunned by the so called feminists, because she suggested that both partners have a role in the patterns that lead to violence. Never once did she say that violence was an acceptable response in any way - all she said was that abused women were not passive entities in these relationships.
Stats and numbers do not, to me, erase meaning, they erase bias, and they erase excuses.
Also, it's important to note that over many studies, gender is not a predictor of violence. Personality disorder is the main predictor of violence, and overall, I think the gender rates are similar. There are gender differences for specific personality disorders - men are more likely to have anti-social personality disorder, whereas women are more likely to have borderline personality disorder, but in sum, they're pretty equal.
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Date: 2008-11-03 07:50 pm (UTC)Stats and numbers do not, to me, erase meaning, they erase bias, and they erase excuses.
Also, it's important to note that over many studies, gender is not a predictor of violence. Personality disorder is the main predictor of violence, and overall, I think the gender rates are similar. There are gender differences for specific personality disorders - men are more likely to have anti-social personality disorder, whereas women are more likely to have borderline personality disorder, but in sum, they're pretty equal.
Okay. Off to the lab.