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GENDER BIAS NO CURE FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
October is Domestic Violence
Awareness Month. Most articles and public
service announcements this month focus
exclusively on female victims, while at the same
time stereotyping all abusers as male. Federal
laws such as the Violence Against Women Act
codify gender discrimination and gender
profiling. Women's advocates claim that
virtually all domestic violence victims are
women, therefore discrimination is justified.
They repeat often-cited claims such as "the
number one reason women age 16 to 40 end up in
the emergency room is violence," "95 per cent of
domestic violence is committed by men," and "the
chance of being victimized by an intimate
partner is 10 times greater for a woman than a
man."
Yet these "statistics" cannot be verified and
are repeatedly contradicted by both government
and private studies. A Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) report found the leading causes of
women's injury-related emergency room visits are
accidental falls, motor vehicle accidents, and
accidental cuts. Homicide or injury purposely
inflicted by others (including strangers and
intimates), was the least likely cause, exceeded
even by injuries due to animal bites and
venomous plants. (National Hospital Ambulatory
Medical Care Survey: 1992 Emergency Department
Summary).
Proof that women are not the only victims of
domestic violence appears in the 1998 Justice
Department report "Intimate Partner Violence."
Of 1830 domestic violence murders, 510, or
almost 1/3, were men. The study also indicated
that males are 13 per cent less likely to report
being a victim of intimate violence than
females. Another 1998 Justice Department report,
"Violence Against Women Survey," found that
while 1,309,061 women were assaulted by an
intimate partner in the prior year, 834,732 men
were victims of domestic violence, 39 per cent
of the total.
Extensive research concludes that men and women
are almost equally likely to initiate domestic
violence (e.g. Strauss and Gelles, 1975 and
1985). While women may be more severely injured
when domestic violence escalates, they can and
do commit serious crimes of violence against
men. Women's advocates continually downplay the
existence of female violence. This obscures the
fact that men are at risk of being victimized,
and leaves them less prepared for the potential
for violence against them.
Should an important public policy debate be
about which sex is the most important victim?
Should a female victim be more important than a
male victim? Was Melanie Edwards (murdered by
her husband in a divorce/custody battle) more
important than Chuck Leonard (murdered by his
wife in a divorce/custody battle)? Was Gertrudes
Lamson (shot and killed by her husband) more
important than Donyea Jones (doused with
gasoline, set afire, and burned to death by his
wife)?
Many male victims are ignored or ridiculed by a
system that seems to recognize only female
victims. When women are the abusers, they are
more often than not given a pass. Recent cases I
have personal experience with involve men who
have been hit, punched, gouged, choked, and
threatened with weapons by their spouses.
Despite reports to police, none of the women
were charged with crimes.
These local cases, and their numerous national
counterparts, demonstrate that domestic violence
is not the sole province of male perpetrators
and female victims. Yet we are constantly told
that women are the only ones at risk. Had there
been more education about the potential for
violence by both men and women, men like Chuck
Leonard and Donyea Jones may have been able to
take precautions and avoid a deadly risk.
Myths and distortions about male and female
violence have no place in the debate about
stopping domestic violence. Despite a continual
barrage of reports about how epidemic domestic
violence has become, the truth is that most men
and women are law-abiding citizens, loving
spouses and caring parents. The 1998 Intimate
Partner Violence report indicates steep declines
in domestic violence against both men and women.
The Justice Department numbers cited above
indicate that only 1.3 per cent of women (and .9
per cent of men) are actually victimized each
year. Yet domestic violence advocates promote
the myth that American women live in constant
terror of violence from husbands or boyfriends.
It is simply irresponsible to falsely demonize
fully 50 per cent of the population, further
fanning the flames of gender warfare.
During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, let's
not let the zeal to protect one class of victims
perpetuate a bias that unfairly stereotypes an
entire gender. It is noble and well-meaning to
advocate for female victims. Yet denying the
existence of male victims of female violence
demeans and ignores these victims, puts them at
further risk, and reduces the likelihood that
female abusers will be held accountable for
their crimes.
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Copyright © 2006-2011 Lisa Scott. All Rights Reserved.
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