Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence

An in Depth Look at Men Who Batter Women and Domestic Violence as a Whole

“Domestic violence constitutes the willful intimidation, assault, battery, sexual assault or other abusive behavior perpetrated by one family member, household member, or intimate partner against another. In most state laws addressing domestic violence, the relationship necessary for a charge of domestic assault or abuse generally includes a spouse, former spouse, persons currently residing together or those that have within the previous year, or persons who share a common child (Domestic Violence).”   Domestic violence is a large-scale and complex social problem around the world.   The family is perhaps the most violent group, with the home being the most violent setting today.   It is alarming to realize that the majority of people who are murdered are not likely killed by a stranger during a robbery or other similar crime; they are killed by someone they know intimately.   In this paper I will discuss a few questions that are asked about the topic of domestic violence, specifically men who batter women. Why do men batter women?   Why do women put up with this abuse?   How are children of women who experience domestic violence affected?   According to Goode, “Deviance is behaviors, beliefs, or characteristics that are likely to generate a negative reaction in others (Goode 3).” The purpose of this paper is to answer these questions and discuss how men who batter women are seen as deviant in our society.
Why do men batter women?   “A patriarchal society can influence some men to feel uncomfortable experiencing and expressing emotions such as dependency, fear, and uncertainty… and this can result in a hesitancy to seek help from others and be open and honest with their feelings (Peterman 67).” This helps explains why men batter women, because in our society showing emotions is seen as weak or a feminine trait and men are not supposed to posses any feminine traits if they want to be seen as a...