| Summary: | Challenges one of Western culture's most deeply held assumptions: that violence against women is different from violence against men. The author argues that this type of violence is rarely the result of sexism or hatred against women. He cites research suggesting that the motives for violence against women are similar to the motives for violence against men: to gain control or retribution and to promote or defend self-image. The motives play a role in almost all violence, regardless of gender. Using a comparative method to determine how violence against women differs from violence against men, the author illustrates not only that violence against women is less frequent than violence against men but also that our culture and legal system treat it more harshly. Contrary to the claims that the courts "blame the vistim" in cases of violence against women, the author shows that the tradition of protection of women sometimes produces the opposite affect and that it is due process and not sexism that makes, for instance, rape cases seem biased against women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved).
|
|---|
