Women against Men in the Households:
In
regards to women abusing men there have been a number of published research
articles regarding men who have been physically abused by their domestic
partners. Society has ignored this kind of violence or has shrugged it
off since it is not thought to be as problematic as violence against women. Simply put, domestic violence in any
form by either gender is wrong (Cook, p.74). It seems as though violence
against men has been neglected, but men and women should know that it is a
subject that should no longer remain hidden from either sex.
There
is no question that domestic violence directed toward women is a serious
problem. A former US surgeon general once called it womens' number one
health problem (Cook, p.175). The statistics reported in the popular press
stated: nearly one third of women in hospital emergency departments are
there due to domestic violence (Cook, p.176). In light of the statistics,
it may be difficult for most of us to accept that women assault men at
anywhere near the rate that men assault women. However, this could
also be due to the amount of damage inflicted my a male assaulter vs. that
or a female assaulter.
Wake
up America! If it happened frequently wouldn’t we hear more about it?
Maybe it only occurs when an older, physically frail man is abused by a
younger woman. Maybe the news only cares when a women has been assaulted or abused and is
fighting back. Can injuries to men be very serious, since women are not
generally as physically strong as men. These are a few of the most common
questions that we all wonder surrounding this issue.
The
most often cited reason for ignoring the nearly equal rate of
domestic violence against men is that the figures include women are acting
in self-defense (Cook,p.54). Socio-structural conditions of violence lead
many in society to blame men for most of the domestic violence that occurs.
Society ignores this issue of hidden abusers (women) and their victims
(men). Once again it is a subject that should no longer remain hidden from
society. Engaging in this research has even challenged our common
assumptions about how men and women behave. Imagine how many male
victims of abuse have kept their history of abuse hidden from friends,
coworkers, and new female partners. The fact is that these victims
need understanding and respect which will not come about without recognition
of the problem.
No
matter how well spouses or partners get along, there are times when they
disagree on matter of life. Men can be victims of these situations as
well as women. Imagine when a women slaps a man and it doesn’t
do any physical damage. It can do damage to his psyche. On one
hand the man does not want to use violence against his female partner.
On the other hand he may feel like less of a man if he is not in control of
his emotions. Men then suffer from low levels of perceived coping
efficacy (Cook,p.145). They feel they have tried every method of
dealing with the situation without success. This is expressed in the
man feeling as if his female partner has “total control." The
role this perception plays is to prevent men from gaining a more equitable
balance of power. It keeps them in a "hostage-caper" type relationship
(Cook,p145). Those who work with abused women will recognize this
perception on the part of the victim as common. It should not be
surprising therefore that it is also a prevalent condition for abused men.
In
concluding, abuse is still control and power over another physically or psychologically no
matter what gender (Stets,p.61). The typical problem that both males and
females face as a result of abuse is denial. Recognition involves identifying what abuse
is and finding out how one responds to the torture. Once men and women
can realize this, the destructive cycle of abuse can end.
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This site was last updated
12/05/01
