Domestic Violence as a Women's Problem - Essay Example

Men are considered to be aggressive and dominating and hence violence against a man is humiliating and thus men suffer silently as opposed to women who are outgoing and have formed various feminist groups to air their voices. This nature of women leads to increased cases of intimate partner domestic violence cases against women. For example, the Bureau of justice statistics (2003) indicates 85% of cases against women as opposed to 15% for men.

            Another premise is that domestic violence is a result of poverty. Schwartz (2004) observes that men refuse their wife's financial needs if they do contrary to their expectations. This shows that women are dependent on men for survival as they don’t have a means of getting income. They are thus poor and vulnerable to abuse. Poverty also denies individuals education which is a key to success and a source of information to guide people in their daily lives. A learned person can deal with problems amicably without resulting in domestic violence. On the other hand, women who depend on men for survival fear being divorced hence they are vulnerable to repeatedly being abused. A woman of higher economic status can always live independently and reject abuses and thus a man would not subject her to violence. Poverty also leads to drug and alcohol abuse resulting in domestic violence. According to Jaffe (2006), drug and alcohol addicts find it hard to control their emotions and react angrily to slight provocations hence violence.

            Culture is the cause of domestic violence. Most traditional societies advocated for wife beating as a sign of love and to gain respect (Jaffe, 2006). Even nowadays some cultures advocate for this practice as they believe women are supposed to be submissive. Christian marriages also teach women to be submissive to their husbands and this is used by men to justify their actions. Culture denies women the right to property ownership or engagement in meaningful employment leading to poverty and dependence on men hence prone to violence. Socialization of boys and girls in early childhood affects their adulthood (Straus, 1992). They observe violent acts and develop aggression, emotional regulation problems, anxiety, and such other factors that affect their behavior or develop psychological disorders which make them perpetrators of domestic violence. These disorders also result in drug and alcohol abuse thus accelerating abuse.

            Homicides, mental problems, disabilities, behavioral problems, sexual related problems are the result of domestic violence. The Bureau of Justice statistics records the number of people who suffer domestic violence depending on the consequences. For example, homicides in the year 2000 accounted for 30% of women and 5% of men. However, most cases are unreported, especially for men (Chapin, 2009). Others are difficult to establish as they involve mental illnesses and behavioral problems. Sexually transmitted diseases are assumed to have resulted from violence although some may have been present before the act and the nature of women or feminity, poverty, and culture contributes to sexual violence. A woman is defenseless, poor, and submissive to her husband hence prone to sexual abuse. The nature of a woman also contributes to the extent of physical injuries inflicted upon her.