Intimate Partner Violence - Essay Example

Section/# Intimate Partner (Domestic) Violence: A View of Gender and Reality Although there are a full range of issues that are encompassed by the term “domestic violence”, this brief analysis and discussion will consider domestic violence to be the following: “a type of violence that is exhibited by one party against another with whom they share a close or intimate bond; this can include but is not limited to situations involving marriage, children, dating, or simple co-habitation” (Furlow, 2010, p. 19). Whereas it may be rather common to think of domestic violence as something that only affects lovers and/or married individuals, it can closely impact upon anyone that shares a close bond or living arrangement with another. Due to the expansive and otherwise broad definition that has been given, it is possible for the Whereas other forms of violence in society are oftentimes the work of an outside or otherwise unknown force, law enforcement began to notice the prevalence of this form of violence and denoted a specific label with regards to differentiating it from the various other sorts of crime that exist within the system. As a means of seeking to lower the incidence of such violence within society, there are a number of factors that can and should be employed from a perspective of social work (Gibbons, 2011). The first of these is to increase awareness and perception of the issue. Only by increasing awareness and perception can it be hoped that a higher percentage of domestic violence cases are reported to proper law enforcement authorities to investigate and prosecute as they see fit. Ultimately however, raising awareness and increasing public/societal perception of these crimes is not enough. It is also the responsibility of the criminal justice system as well as the laws which govern it and the court system that punishes these infractions to ensure that such instances can be reduced to a bare minimum (Lepisto et al, 2011). One of the problems that such a tactic faces is the fact that domestic violence is punished in different ways based upon the jurisdiction and/or state in question. This can also be the fault of jurisprudence and bias on the part of the shareholders that ultimately decide the sentencing for individuals convicted of domestic violence. Although society has come a long way in helping to understand and punish domestic violence, there remains a great deal more to be done until the crime bears a conviction rate alongside other forms of pre-meditated violence (Furlow, 2010). Ultimately, in order for domestic violence to be more recognized and understood, the social worker will need to integrate more directly with the shareholders of the situation and seek to de-stigmatize the faulty understanding that domestic violence only exists because the victim has somehow brought it upon themselves. Moreover, regardless of the different actions that can be taken by the shareholder within social work, it must be understood that domestic violence is an issue that touches the lives of many countless thousands that never see the face of a social worker in the course of their lives (Marsden, 2014). As such, the necessity to increase awareness becomes of paramount importance. It is without question that violence against women and gender roles are at least nominally related. The fact of the matter is that society has for too long understood violence against women as something of an aberrant form of behavior that merely was exhibited as are so many other inhumane aberrant forms of behavior. For instance, society has long understood violence towards women to be primarily motivated by mental disability, childhood trauma, or any of the other “usual suspects” that prompt individuals to other types of heinous crime. However, the fact of the matter is that violence against women is something that whether we like to admit or not is ultimately conditioned into our global society as a means of the gender norms that are seared within our collective consciousness from birth until death. As a function of the way in which these gender norms impact upon violence against women and are exhibited within the society that we live, this brief analysis will seek to further shed a level of understanding upon the correlation and causation that gender roles have with regards to violence against women. Furthermore, it should not be understood that gender norms in and of themselves create something of a vicious cycle that is impossible to be broken (Johnson, 2014). Rather, it is the belief and understanding of this author that gender roles are only as powerful as stakeholders within society allow them to be; thereby holding a unique potential for freedom from these gender roles and a possible reduction in the overall levels of violence that are exhibited towards women around the globe. Finally, the analysis will briefly discuss the means by which gender roles have been unmistakable and remarkable staying power; regardless of the fact that society is challenged many other norms that exist within it successfully over the past several decades. As a means of understanding this particular dynamic, it is the hope of this author that the analysis will be beneficial in helping the reader to integrate a further level of understanding with regards not only to the interconnected nature that gender roles and violence against women have but also integrate for the level of understanding with regards to the unimaginably powerful means by which gender roles integrate with society stop One does not need to look very hard in order to find a situation in which gender roles encourage a level of abuse and violence towards women. For instance, the young girls are told from the very earliest of ages that it is not ladylike to raise their voice or command in a demanding tone. Although it is possible that the same advice is given to young boys, it is far less common. In fact, competition and demanding attitudes within boys is oftentimes encouraged; not only within the home but within a litany of sports programs and competitive engagements that these young boys are encouraged to take part in (Finnbogadóttir et al., 2014). In short, the children of our society are predisposed to an understanding of the fact that girls should be tended and shy by nature whereas boys should be boisterous and demanding; exercising a will to power over society and their own individual wants. Of course, the same can be true with regards to sex and the means by which children are taught expected behavior with regards to sex. By and large, abstinence is most strictly promoted for girls as chastity is viewed as something of a feminine virtue. Although this is partly the case for boys, the level and extent to which this is evident is greatly reduced than the level and extent in which it is exhibited and girls (Pharr, 2011). In short, what such a differential suggests is that boys will be boys and should and probably will engage in a high number of sexual activities prior to some form of monogamy. However, women should not be in charge of their own sexuality and perhaps cannot even be trusted to be in charge of it; thereby demanding that they remain chaste and abstinent. Returning to the power dynamic that boys and men are instilled with a nearly every aspect of world culture, one can see the way in which this exercise of power, force, and brutality is something that is appreciated within society as a whole with regards to men and boys; however, it is something that is shunned and derided with regards to girls. What this necessarily creates is a culture in which boys and men are taught from the earliest of ages that an exercise of their power and will to rule is a net positive. As such, it’s come as little surprise to the reader why such a high level of violence currently exists with regards to women within global society (Bernard & Schlaffer, 2010). Naturally, there are many cultures around the world in which a greater or lesser degree of this gender role and violence against women is linked. Yet, no matter the geography, ethnicity, race, or region that is analyzed, the definitive link is nonetheless evident and can be seen in a range of gender norms that may or may not be specific to the particular peoples in question. In conclusion, there is no single gender norm that should be targeted for destruction or derided more than any other. In effect, all gender norms that exists within society, whether patriarchy, the differentiation between sexes, what is expected between the sexes, or a litany of others are all fabricated an unrealistic expectations that have been foisted upon individuals from one generation to the next. Although the movements have been made within the past several years to change the level and extent to which individuals within our society engage with and understand gender norms, the rate of change has been abysmally slow. This is not only due to the fact that there are not enough individuals within society that are taking a stand against gender roles, it also directly correlates to the level of power that these gender roles hold over a world that is in ace constant and perpetual state of flux with regards to all must every other societal issue. Whereas individuals around the globe have integrated an understanding of civil rights and other key social issues, it is apparent and of obvious that gender roles continue to hold a great amount of sway with regards to the way in which current and past generations integrate an understanding of life and the determinant compliments of the sexes which engage in it. References Bernard, C., & Schlaffer, E. (2010, March 14). The Man on the Street: Why He Harrasses. Retrieved May 29, 2013, from: http://www.unc.edu/~kleinman/handouts/The%20Man%20in%20the%20Street-Why%20He%20Harasses.pdf Finnbogadóttir, H., Dykes, A., & Wann-Hansson, C. (2014). Prevalence of domestic violence during pregnancy and related risk factors: a cross-sectional study in southern Sweden. BMC Womens Health, 14(1), 1-24. doi:10.1186/1472-6874-14-63 FURLOW, B. (2010). Domestic Violence. Radiologic Technology, 82(2), 133-153. Gibbons, L. (2011). DEALING WITH THE EFFECTS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. Emergency Nurse, 19(4), 12-17. Johnson, M. E. (2014). A Home with Dignity: Domestic Violence and Property Rights. Brigham Young University Law Review, 2014(1), 1-544. Lepistö, S., Luukkaala, T., & Paavilainen, E. (2011). Witnessing and experiencing domestic violence: a descriptive study of adolescents. Scandinavian Journal Of Caring Sciences, 25(1), 70-80. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6712.2010.00792.x MARSDEN, J. (2014). Domestic Violence Asylum After Matter of L-R-. Yale Law Journal, 123(7), 2512-2557. Pharr, S. (2011, January 4). Homophobia as a Weapon of Sexism. Retrieved May 29, 2013, from http://www.csusm.edu/sjs/documents/homophobiaaweaponofsexismcondensed.pdf Read More