It may no longer be the designated Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but it has become abundantly clear that domestic violence is an issue that won’t be going away anytime soon.
From Ray Rice to Jian Ghomeshi and Bill Cosby, each day brings new reports of women sharing their stories as victims of both physical and sexual assault.
Even with the U.S. statute of limitations barring many from pressing criminal charges, victims are continuing to come forward to exhort their rights.
As shameful as it is to admit that we continue to battle an issue that was the focus of an international declaration by the UN two decades ago, the problem has grown and changed.
As stated in Overcoming the Gender Dyad a report by researchers in domestic violence at the University of Calgary, girls and women, at least in North America, appear to perpetrate domestic violence as often as, or more than, men do.
There are about 1,200 female victims for every 100,000 women, which is just five per cent higher than the rate of violence against men, reports Statistics Canada.
Although it still appears that males continue to perpetrate the most common and severe forms of domestic violence, bidirectional violence is the most common pattern of violence in abusive heterosexual dating relationships.
The discourse on gender inequality has changed since the 1960s and 1970s, which means that in order to successfully combat the societal problem of domestic violence, we need a paradigm shift.
Masculinity must no longer be associated with domination, aggression and physical prowess. Domestic violence must no longer be defined as between a male perpetrator and vulnerable female victim.
There is fear that shifting the focus to men may take away from women’s campaigns and services, gain disproportionate media attention and detract from the feminist perspective on the issue.
Research suggests that our current understanding of the “gender dyad” in relation to domestic violence may be what’s hindering boys and men from taking a larger, more engaging role in ending domestic violence.
As stated in the article “Gender role shake-up key to ending domestic violence” in the Saturday, Nov. 15 edition of the Gazette, the gender gap between men and women socially and economically has closed significantly in the last two decades.
Although we have made leaps and bounds in promoting gender equality, says Amy Kaler PhD, professor in the sociology of gender and family studies at the University of Alberta, women are still compensated less than men in the workplace. Men have still not taken a dominant role in the home, especially when it comes to domestic activities such as childcare.
Current research suggests that “positive fatherhood” is key in preventing violence in the next generation among both girls and boys. Fathers who are involved in caring for their children are role-modelling behaviours that promote gender equality.
At one point, gender, wealth and power had the ability to silence … but not anymore.
Amy Crofts is the court and crime reporter for the St. Albert Gazette.
