Violence in Families

Violence in Families

• Violence in families is a complex issue with many definitions and forms, encompassing abuse and stress.
• Studying violence and abuse is complicated by definitional and methodological challenges.
• Short-term and long-term consequences of violence and abuse are significant.
• A life-course, ecological perspective is essential for understanding and evaluating the explanations behind violence and abuse.
• Important issues regarding prevention and intervention need exploration.
• The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic may have both caused and exposed family violence.
• Canada is a world leader in domestic violence research.
• Domestic violence encompasses numerous forms of violence, including intimate partner violence, gender-based violence, and spousal and family violence.
• The use of appropriate terminology when discussing domestic violence is important.
• Definitions of domestic violence are politically contested and can be narrow (focusing on extreme acts) or broad (including the root causes).
• Narrow definitions have their own benefits and disadvantages. Broad definitions explain the root causes with regards to power and control within the current patriarchal order.

Definitions of Domestic Violence

• Narrow definitions focus on extreme acts of physical or sexual violence, causing harm or injury. There are benefits and negative aspects to this definition
• Broad definitions encompass the benefits of explaining the roots of violence in terms of power dynamics. Feminist perspectives highlight the role of patriarchal social structures in enabling male control over women within families, politics, and the economy. These broader definitions often incorporate "rule of thumb" and "spare the rod and spoil the child", as further examples of problematic historical and cultural attitudes.
• There are benefits and limitations to considering broad definitions of violence, which help to contextualize and provide frameworks for different forms of abuse.

Violence Against Women

• Violence against women manifests in various ways, including direct physical, psychological, and sexualized violence.
• Discriminatory laws, a lack of political participation, unpaid care work, and limited healthcare for women contribute to the problem.

Theoretical Perspectives on Domestic Violence

• Feminist-patriarchal theory: Institutions rely on violence or the threat of violence to maintain male power and control over women.
• The theory aims to understand sexual violence and the normalization of sexual domination between men and women within a socio-cultural context.
• Different types of violence occur within a context of inequality (e.g., gender, race, class, sexual orientation.)

Social Learning Theory

• People learn violent and abusive behaviors from their social environment.
• Children who witness violence in the home may develop fight, flight, or freeze responses.
• Violent behaviors can coexist with affection within abusive households, making identification challenging.
• Violence can be intergenerationally transmitted, creating cycles of violence.

Impact of Violence on Children

• Children exposed to violence between parents can experience emotional and social stress.
• Family violence and parental alienation are critical concerns with potential long-term effects on children.

Why Don't Women Leave?

• Coercive control and the cycle of violence play a part in understanding why women stay.
• Women may remain in abusive situations due to mix of abusive behavior and non-abusive behavior used by the abuser.
• The 3 phases of the cycle of violence- tension building, violence and honeymoon.
• Violent behavior learned outside of the family.
• Media influence as another factor in learning abusive behaviour.

Psychiatric/Personality Theory

• Domestic violence may be linked to psychological issues, personality traits, or mental health problems in perpetrators.

Social Situational/Stress & Coping Theory

• Social structures such as poverty, marginalization, lack of resources, and racist attitudes could influence the prevalence of domestic abuse.

Prevalence of Domestic Violence

• The 1993 Canadian Violence Against Women Survey (CVAWS) provides data on rates.
• Canada's General Social Survey on Victimization and crime data, combined with the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS), can be used to gather data on rates and patterns.
• Newer data, such as the 2017 "It's Time" Strategy, focuses on gender-based violence, including knowledge centers and survey programs.
• Data reveals disparities in rates based on demographic factors.

Domestic Violence among Vulnerable Families

• Domestic violence occurs across all types of families. Some groups, like Indigenous, immigrant and conservative religious families, experience disproportionately high rates.
• Structural factors contributing to inequality (e.g., colonialism, intergenerational trauma, immigrant experiences) can exacerbate violence in these groups.
• Cultural and religious contexts also play a crucial role.

Conservative Religious Families

• Women in conservative religious families may be held responsible for marital success and well-being, leading to silence, shame, and guilt regarding abusive situations.
• Intervention strategies for these groups need to be sensitive to their cultural and religious backgrounds.

Intervention Strategies

• Community-coordinated responses, involving various public services, are considered the most effective approach.
• Shelters, criminal justice systems, and action-oriented approaches can help to prevent and stop family violence.
• There is a need for effective and culturally-sensitive services that address the needs of specific subgroups.

Conclusion

• Over the past three decades, significant numbers of women have experienced intimate partner violence in Canada. This is costly to families and society.
• Further research is needed to understand power dynamics between partners (including same-sex and transgender relationships)
• More intervention strategies are necessary for all families to address violence and abuse.

This quiz explores the complex issue of violence in families, including definitions, forms, and consequences. It discusses the need for a life-course and ecological perspective in understanding domestic violence, as well as prevention and intervention strategies. Additionally, it highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on family violence in Canada.