Women's Violence to Men in Intimate Relationships: Working on a Puzzle

• NCJ Number: 206763
• Journal: British Journal of Criminology Volume: 44 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2004 Pages: 324-349
• Author(s): Russell P. Dobash; R. Emerson Dobash
• Date Published: May 2004
• Length: 26 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Great Britain Home Office; Scottish Office Central Research & Statistics Unit
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

After reviewing the literature on the prevalence of male-to -female and female-to-male violence between intimates, this British study obtained quantitative and qualitative data from 190 interviews with 95 couples in which men and women reported separately about their own violence and that of their partner.

Abstract

Research findings on the prevalence and nature of violence by males and females against opposite-sex intimate partners show contradictory results. Some research has reported that women are as likely as men to commit violence against an intimate partner (symmetry); and other research has found that compared to women, men are overwhelmingly the perpetrators of violence against women in intimate relationships (asymmetry). To date, however, there has been very little in-depth research about women's violence toward male partners, so it is difficult without additional research to resolve the contradiction in findings in the existing relevant research. In the current study, all of the men had been convicted of a violent offense against their partner, thus constituting a criminal justice sample of male perpetrators. Women's violence, therefore, was examined in the context of men's violence. The focus of he separate interviews was on men's accounts and women's accounts of the violent events that occasioned the man's conviction, along with the injuries and consequences, as well as their contexts, meanings, and interpretations. "Violence" was defined as malevolent physical or sexual acts. The findings suggest that intimate partner violence is primarily an asymmetrical problem of men's violence toward women; women's violence in the context of interactive violence between the partners did not equate to that of the men in terms of frequency, severity, consequences, and the victim's sense of safety and well-being. Worldwide, the legislation and policies developed to respond to violence between intimates have conceived of the problem as primarily one of men's violence toward women. The findings of the current study support such efforts. 4 tables and 82 references