Hitting Women

[Puppycow]

In which countries is domestic violence considered acceptable

The thing that stands out most to me is not so much the differences between countries, but the one thing that's consistent among all of them: the poor women consider domestic violence to be more acceptable than the rich. Is it just a self-esteem thing? Rich women tend to have more self esteem than poor women, and hence think it less acceptable that their husbands should beat them?

 

[GlennB]

Possibly the poorest groups are also those who are still closest to the 'traditional' view of the matter? From what I've seen of Morocco, for example, the division between urban-modern and village-traditional is stark.

 

[JamesDillon]

Possibly the poorest groups are also those who are still closest to the 'traditional' view of the matter? From what I've seen of Morocco, for example, the division between urban-modern and village-traditional is stark.

I suspect that's right; not so much a self-esteem thing as a "this is how things have always been" thing.

That said, "certain circumstances" is pretty vague. What if your wife is a terrorist or a serial killer?

 

[Puppycow]

Possibly the poorest groups are also those who are still closest to the 'traditional' view of the matter? From what I've seen of Morocco, for example, the division between urban-modern and village-traditional is stark.

That probably also has something to do with it. And education too, as richer correlates with more education.

 

[Brian-M]

What I'd like to see with these kinds of studies is for them to include the converse. In this case, that would be a chart showing how many respondents believe that in certain circumstances a wife is justified in hitting her husband.

Clearly there's an anti-male bias in these studies. [/half-joking]

Personally, I see this particular chart as a test of the imagination of the respondents rather than a test of their views on domestic violence. If you can't imagine some circumstance, however unlikely, where a man would be justified in hitting a woman in some way, you're not thinking creatively.

For example, what if the wife were a heavily built female wrestler who beats up her weak, skinny husband on a regular basis? Would it not be justified for him hit her in the process of defending himself from a direct physical assault?

 

[Puppycow]

What if your wife is a terrorist or a serial killer?

For example, what if the wife were a heavily built female wrestler who beats up her weak, skinny husband on a regular basis? Would it not be justified for him hit her in the process of defending himself from a direct physical assault?

In both cases the correct response is to report her to the police, not to hit her.

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

What an utterly pointless poll.

It has the disclaimer "under certain circumstances", which is so broad as to be laughable. That could include his wife coming at him with an axe, or drowning their child in the bathtub.

 

[Puppycow]

What an utterly pointless poll.

It has the disclaimer "under certain circumstances", which is so broad as to be laughable. That could include his wife coming at him with an axe, or drowning their child in the bathtub.

I think you're overthinking the question.

 

[Brian-M]

In both cases the correct response is to report her to the police, not to hit her.

I suspect you'd have a hard time reporting her to the police while she's punching you in the face. Unless there happens to be a police officer standing nearby at the time.

Reporting to the police happens after an assault. Self-defense happens during an assault. Or are you arguing that men aren't allowed to act in self-defense when the attacker is female?

 

[Dancing David]

Well people say one thing and do another. Women in the Ukraine may say and believe they should not get pummeled, but they still have a high rate of DV.

Even those who say it is okay probably don't want it to happen to them.

 

[JamesDillon]

In both cases the correct response is to report her to the police, not to hit her.

That depends on the circumstance. If I come in from work one day and find my wife, say, about to remote-detonate a bomb in a downtown office building or cut the throat of some innocent victim, clearly I'm justified in using whatever force may be necessary to stop her from doing so.

The point being, there are absolutely "certain circumstances" in which a husband is justified in hitting his wife, though I'll readily stipulate that those circumstances are quite rare and the spousal relationship has nothing to do with it-- violence is justified against spouses only in circumstances in which it would be justified against anyone else.

 

[Bikewer]

Back when I was doing "regular" police work, from '68 to '78, domestic violence was pretty endemic in the area I worked.
This was primarily lower-middle-class situations, with the hubby working in manufacturing or other industrial areas and the wife either staying home or working part-time.
Domestic violence was very common.
Usually on weekends; hubby would come home drunk, an argument would ensue, and the beating commence.
We'd get these as a "family disturbance" with either the neighbors calling due to the uproar or the involved parties themselves afterwards.
There were no "domestic violence" laws on the books then, in fact we couldnt' even make an arrest on these misdemeanor charges unless we saw it happening.
The victim would have to go to the prosecutors office and apply for a warrant to have hubby prosecuted.
They never did. I handled dozens of these, and not one prosecution. The pattern was typical; hubby would be apologetic, he'd buy gifts...
As well, he was normally the only source of income for the family. "Just leaving" was not an option for most of these people; there were no support groups, no shelters, etc. Usually there were several kids involved.

I imagine the situation might be even more so in most of the countries listed... Not onlly are women culturally subservient to men, there would be no social network whatever for them.
In many of these societies, even the family would not be willing to take the woman in as she had "failed" to please her husband.

 

[Puppycow]

Well people say one thing and do another. Women in the Ukraine may say and believe they should not get pummeled, but they still have a high rate of DV.

Or perhaps they have a higher rate of reporting DV.

In a country where 90% of even women think it's OK to beat their wives, the vast majority of DV isn't reported or isn't taken seriously by police even if it is.

 

[MG1962]

I think you're overthinking the question.

Not really because the point of 'certain circumstances' can be different in various cultures.

 

[Safe-Keeper]

Is there a reason why this poll is limited to cover only female victims?
Should I start a campaign to study racism against whites?

 

[DrDave]

Anyone not answering 100% has got the wrong answer.

 

[Professor Yaffle]

You're all assuming that the question asked was exactly the same as the label on the graph. It is possible that the researchers gave additional context and examples and that the graph label is a brief summary of the question asked.

But the data do come from different surveys with different methodologies, so the cross country comparisons should be viewed with caution for that reason.

 

[Debaser]

What I'd like to see with these kinds of studies is for them to include the converse. In this case, that would be a chart showing how many respondents believe that in certain circumstances a wife is justified in hitting her husband.

Clearly there's an anti-male bias in these studies. [/half-joking]

Evidently education is at the heart of this matter. Judging by the study referred to below, the higher educated the woman the more likely to accept female on male violence.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5092100.stm

 

[crimresearch]

Is there a reason why this poll is limited to cover only female victims?
Should I start a campaign to study racism against whites?

Are 'whites' the largest group to be on the receiving end of racism? Or are men overwhelmingly the victims of DV?

Or are you just trolling?

 

[Cainkane1]

I'm adverse to hitting a woman with anything more lethal than a divorse. I had to do that with my wife because of her temper and vile mouth. I once had to push her down several times when she started raising hell and got violent but I didn't hit or kick her.