Gender Differences in Intimate Partner Violence: Case of Claiming to the Protection Order
Date Issued
2012
Date
2012
Author(s)
Sheng, Chang
Abstract
Recent years, domestic violence was increasing, especially the intimate relationship violence. As cases of the intimate relationship violence were on the increase, the appliance of protection order also took place. Intimate relationship violence often featured female victims, and they gradually developed into different types. However, according to the statistic, percentage of male as victim of intimate relationship continue to rise, as well as the number of males applied for protection order.
Intimate relationship violence victims were no longer the byword of females. Males’ character in the intimate relationship and the needs of violated males became important issues. Although there was a large among of intimate relationship violence studies, males were missing most of the time. This study featured a male researcher’s practical experiences in the work place, trying to understand intimate relationship violence victims and difference between victims of different genders including background variables, types of violence, violence impacts, coping strategies and resources provided by domestic violence service center in the court. Beside the information analysis, this study also took the social worker’s point of view to explore how victims of different genders regarded the services of social workers.
This study had three approaches to the information: information analysis via Modern Women’s Foundation at the domestic violence center at Taiwan Taipei District Court and Taiwan Shihlin District Court. Moreover, focus group discussion of social workers also took place in order to provide different points of view. The three approaches not only avoided the limitations of the individual material, but also enlarge the possibility of the comparison of the need and supply of gender difference.
According to the study results, most of the intimate relationship victims of both genders were of middle ages, which were consisted with the past researches. Not all the victims were of low education status, people of high education status were possible to be threatened by violence. Furthermore, types of violence including physical violence, mental violence and economical violence showed no gender differences.
When it came to experiences of seeking for help and measures, females turned to the police system more often than males did. The possible reason that kept most males away from the official resort system might be the binds of the traditional social norms. About litigation experiences, the appliance of retraining order showed no gender differences, which implied that there was certain rate of repeated violence of both male and female victims.
Among social welfares, females used services such as supportive meeting, safety plan discussion and escort in court more often than males did. This suggested that females were more often threatened by physical violence than males, but acquired more emotion supports and related aids.
Impacts of intimate relationship violence could be divided into physical, mental, social and social supportive impact. Females were more often heavy physical impacted than males, but both genders were of similar degree of mediate and light physical impacts. In the case of mental impact, only males underwent certain emotions that led to the strike back. Under a certain degree of violence, males might be pushed to the edge of violence strike back. Concerning violence impacts on social life, females’ economical status usually counted on their mate, and it was hard for them to abandon the traditional gender relationship and became economical independent. Regarding social supportive impacts, females were more easily to retain unofficial supports than males, but it showed no gender difference in seeking for help by the official resort system.
Based on the findings, this study purposed two suggestions including practical and policy aspects. The former included 1) enforcing the promotion about intimate relationship violence to males, 2) improving the gender education of police force, 3) enhancing the gender sensitivity of judicial officials, 4) attaching importance to males’ needs of emotional support, 5) and establishing proper unofficial informal supportive systems. The later included constructing fluent network of violence prevention and service modes for male victims.
Subjects
intimate relationship
intimate partner violence
gender differences
protection order
domestic violence center
Type
thesis
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