Power and Violence

What is power? The ability to exercise one’s will TYPES (p. 302): 1. Personal Power 2. Social Power 3. Marital Power

Marital Power Decision Making Division of Labor Sense of Empowerment * Objective Measure of Power * Subjective Measure of Fairness (note: subjective measure matters most in marital satisfaction)

Six Sources of Power (French & Raven) (Table 12.1, p. 303) Coercive Power (punishment) Reward Power (non/material gifts) Expert Power (superior judgment) Informational Power (persuasion) Referent Power (couple identity) Legitimate Power (patriarchy)

Dynamics of Power (Blood & Wolf) Using the Resource Hypothesis, the researchers suggest that patriarchy as a power source was no longer prevalent Interviewed 900 wives in 1960 72 % Egalitarian 25 % Male dominated 3 % Female dominated

Criticism of Blood & Wolf Study Not all decisions are equal Left out important areas of life : a. sexual life b. number of children c. freedom to have friends of opp./same sex There’s more than the final say, e.g., who comes up with the alternatives Division of labor Autonomy

Resources and Gender Men Women + Higher Wages + Older + Physical Strength + High remarriage rate Women + Working in Paid Labor Reproductive Role Economic Dependence

Resource in Cultural Context Patriarchal Norm v. Egalitarian Norm Today, in American culture: Transitional Egalitarian Situation Love, Need, and Power Principle of Least Interested (Waller) How does gender play a role in these theories?

Family Violence All forms of abuse have at their center the exploitation of a power difference

The Power and Control Wheel Behaviors some Males use for coercive power and control

What the Data Says National Crime Victimization Survey (2001) 700,000 (nonfatal) incidences of violence (rape/sexual assault, robbery, aggravated Assault) 85 % against women (ages 16-24) Men ages 25-34 most victimized Between 1993-2004 violent crime against women declined by 40 Percent Intimate partner homicide for men down by 45 %

Intimate-Partner Murder

Who Commits Intimate-Partner Violence? Asymmetrical Violence: Women are primarily the victims of abuse Symmetrical Violence: both men and women engage in intimate-partner violence

Three major Explanations Sample Differences Using college students versus wider age range * College women more willing to strike out in argument Measures CTS does not include sexual violence Typologies of intimate-partner violence Patriarchal Terrorism intended to establish a general pattern of dominance * normally not focused on particular dispute Common Couple Violence mutual violence between couple over specific dispute * involves fewer instances, not likely to escalate, may be more common than patriarchal terrorism

Why Do Men Do It? Coercive power is invoked when all other power sources are unavailable * this leads to Patriarchal Terrorism

Three-Phase Cycle of Domestic Violence 1. Tension forms from minor altercation 2. Situation escalates to violent explosion 3. (honeymoon stage) Husband treats wife with love and care *similar pattern found in same-sex relationships

Why Do Women Stay? Fear Cultural Norm * 75% of murders are reactions to leaving Cultural Norm * Rule of Thumb; Katz’s indifference to male violence Love, Econ. Dependency, Hopes for Reform Gender Socialization * Women are the ones to keep marriages together Childhood Experience Low Self-Esteem