Battered women and their assailants

Bonnie E. Carlson, MSW, is Adjunct Lecturer, School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. For centuries there have been batThis article (1) provides informa tered women—or battered or abused tion about a population of battered wives—but only recently has their batwomen and their assailants, (2) sug tering gained public attention as a sogests likely causes of domestic vio cial problem. In the past few years lence, (3) tries to dispel misunder numerous professional and lay pubstanding about the problem, and (4) lications have begun to provide inindicates connections between charac formation about the problem in an atteristics of the affected population, tempt to educate the public about its causes of the problem, and the result causes and consequences, as well as ing need for services. The situation has to stimulate the provision of services gone beyond the point where profes for its victims. However, little syssionals in mental health and social ser tematic research has been conducted vice can continue to ignore the prob in this area, and the limited data collem. lected tend not to be oriented toward service delivery. Before services can be provided both to the victims of SELECTION OF SAMPLE domestic violence and their assailants, in April 1975 the Ann Arbor, Michi it is essential to understand the dynamgan, chapter of the National Organi ics of the problem and what services zation for Women (NOW) developed the affected population needs. a Wife Assault Task Force and began Currently, many myths and misconto collect information about local do ceptions regarding domestic or conmestic violence in the hope of provid jugal violence exist among both the ing free services to abused women, general public and the helping prousing volunteers from the community, fessionals who are likely to be conln January 1976 that hope was real fronted with domestic violence in their ized and the NOW Domestic Violence work. Project began to offer the following As Schultz noted, the prevailing services to battered women: emer stereotypes regarding battered women gency housing, short-term peer coun are these: seling by volunteers, legal advice and 1. They are basically sadomasoreferral, financial assistance, 24-hour chistic. That is, they enjoy being abused crisis phone coverage, and referral to and have a need to be abused. Thereappropriate social service and mental fore the problem is difficult to eradihealth agencies. Over 260 victims and cate since its roots lie deep in the their children were served in an 18 victim's psyche. month period. This figure is surpris 2. They actually instigate the asingly high in view of the feminist affili saults through antagonistic verbal beation of the project. It undoubtedly havior (for example, nagging, insults, reflects the desperation of these clients and so on) ; if they would refrain from and the inability of existing community such verbal abuse, the battering would resources to meet their need for ser cease. vice. The study reported in this article 3. They are "very masculine, outwas based on the 101 cases in the spoken, domineering women" (casNOW project for which information trating by implication) who "tend to was most complete. exploit and profit from their husband's passiveness and dependency." 1 Limitations of the Data The group These stereotypes tend to be based of women interviewed in the study on personal observations and have not cannot be considered representative of been investigated empirically in a sysall women who are physically abused tematic fashion. Schultz, for instance, by their husbands or other men with based his observations on a sample of whom they have primary relationships, four persons. It is also important to Rather, generalizations can only be note that the foregoing stereotypes made to a population of abused clearly place the cause for the viowomen who appeal for assistance to lence within the victim, a phenomenon a volunteer nonprofessional women's recently called "blaming the victim." 2 organization. Substantial amounts of