NCJ Number
101178
Journal
Victimology Volume: 10 Issue: 1-4 Dated: (1985) Pages: 253-266
Date Published
1985
Length
14 pages
Annotation
There are many causal theories of wife abuse. Theories and knowledge occur in a broader framework of thoughts and beliefs, and, as such, demonstrate some truth within a framework of values and assumptions.
Abstract
The interpretation of facts, then, determines the formulation of the problem and critically influences the avenues open for action. Theories of causality can be classed according to their ideological orientations, which can be located in an individualistic, reformist, or structuralist range of interests. Using the hypothesis that there are hierarchical family relations of male dominance and female subservience based in socio-political and economic roots, and that this is a causal factor of wife abuse, the present paper proposes that the Family Law Reform Act and General Welfare Assistance Act of the Province of Ontario (Canada) indirectly contributes to the perpetuation of wife abuse. Since the Family Law Reform Act (FLRA) and General Welfare Assistance (GWA) legislation reflect the value that labor -- productive and reproductive -- is divided by gender and since decreased rights are attributed by this legislation for reproductive labor, it is argued that the FLRA and GWA place the person -- women -- performing the reproductive labor in an economically disadvantaged position. Therefore, it is argued that FLRA and GWA are incongruent with the principles of equality as expressed in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms of the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982. Further, this paper suggests that the law -- because it magnifies and does not redress the division of labor by gender -- supports hierarchical (power/authority) family relations and increases a wife's economic dependence. As a result, it is argued that the law indirectly contributes to the perpetuation of violence against wives. Lastly, the paper concludes by suggesting that balancing the productive responsibility between husband and wife is a step toward equalizing the power/authority family relations and thus a move toward redressing wife abuse. (Author abstract)