At the Intersection of Interpersonal Violence, Masculinity, and Alcohol Use: The Experiences of Heterosexual Male Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence (original) (raw)
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Masculinity, Male Aggression and Alcohol use: Case Studies of Perpetrators of Domestic Violence
Considerable proportions of married women in India experience violence from their male partners. Gender theorists have underscored the role of masculine norms in contributing to alcohol intoxication and violence towards female partners. Though there exist a number of studies on gender based violence in general and domestic violence in particular, not many studies have focused solely on the men's account of the violence. This study attempts to examine the gender construction ebedded in the selves of male perpetrators of domestic violence. The study includes case studies of 15 (Fifteen) heterosexual, married men hailing from Malappuram District, Kerala who were selected purposively. A qualitative methodology was used for the study. It was found that these men presented themselves as rational, effective and ideal models of what men ought to be. They perceived violence as a means to reproduce their gender and thereby projected their violence as an 'effective' mechanism to maintain 'order' in family. They claimed that women were actually responsible for the violence and trivialized the impacts of alcohol-related violence on women's lives.
Male Perpetrators of Heterosexual-Partner-Violence: The Role of Threats to Masculinity
The Journal of Men's Studies, 2013
We rely on data from one-on-one semi-structured interviews with males convicted of intimate partner violence (IPV) and descriptive survey data to contribute to theoretical assessments of the nexus between masculinity, IPV and health. We broaden theoretical understanding of male perpetrators of IPV and their violence against women by reporting on two emergent themes: 1) the role of economic stress in relation to masculinity and 2) the importance of control/dominance among male perpetrators. We find that the intersection of masculinity pursuits, economic stress, and control are inextricably tethered to IPV: It is not only the state of being economically disadvantaged that increase risk for IPV, but also the internalized implications of what such disadvantage implies about one's male identity. We conclude with suggestions for future research and policy approaches to the social problem of IPV.
Journal of Family Violence, 2008
Controlling behaviors have been found to be a significant predictor in IPV perpetration (IPV) for both males and females. Studies have also revealed the relationship between IPV perpetration and masculinity among males; however, the literature has not investigated the relationship between masculinity and IPV perpetration among females. Additionally, studies have not explored the effects of controlling behaviors and masculinity on different types of IPV, such as physical and sexual perpetration. The present study investigated the relationship between controlling behaviors, masculinity, past victimization, and three types of IPV perpetration among 167 college students. Multivariate analyses revealed significant contributions of each factor varied according to the type of IPV perpetration (psychological, physical, and sexual). Implications from the results include the development of more inclusive violence prevention and intervention programs aimed addressing the perpetration of intimate partner violence.
Among men’s studies scholars, violence is a major focus of attention. Research findings of the past two decades indicate that violence is gendered, and can only be understood in the context of gender inequality. And though contemporary theories on men and violence have rejected the notion that violence is a necessary result of being male, the field continues to struggle with the need for a more contextual understanding of men’s relationship to violence. Drawing from Descriptive Psychology and existing paradigms for studying gender and violence, I argue that conceptualizing gender as a status that confers eligibility to engage in some social practices rather than others holds promising potential for explicating masculinity’s relationship to intimate partner violence.
Men, Masculinities and Intimate Partner Violence
2020
Men, Masculinities and Intimate Partner Violence examines how gender and other social identities and inequalities shape experiences of, and responses to, violence in intimate relationships. It provides new insights into men as both perpetrators and victims of violence, as well as on how to involve men and boys in anti-violence work. The chapters explore partner violence from the perspectives of researchers, therapists, activists, organisations, media as well as men of different background and sexual orientation. Highlighting the distinct and ambivalent ways we relate to violence and masculinity, this timely volume provides nuanced approaches to men, masculinity and intimate partner violence in various societies in the global North and South. This book foregrounds scholarship on men and masculinities in the context of intimate partner violence. By doing so, it revitalises feminist theorising and research on partner abuse, and brings together the fields of masculinity studies and studies of intimate partner violence. The book will be a vital resource for students and scholars in criminology, gender studies, psychology, social work and sociology, as well as those working with men and boys.
Domestic Violence, 2017
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem in the United States. Results from a 1995 national study indicated that 23 percent of the black couples, 11.5 percent of the white couples, and 17 percent of the Hispanic couples surveyed reported an incident of male-to-female partner violence in the 12 months preceding the survey. The rate of female-to-male partner violence was also high: 15 percent among white couples, 30 percent among black couples, and 21 percent among Hispanic couples. The higher prevalence of IPV among ethnic minorities, compared with whites, cannot be explained by any single factor, but seems to be related to risk factors associated with the individual, the type of relationship between partners, and factors in the environment. Alcohol plays an important part in IPV. The study found that 30 to 40 percent of the men and 27 to 34 percent of the women who perpetrated violence against their partners were drinking at the time of the event. Alcohol-related problems were associated with IPV among blacks and whites, but not among Hispanics. Alcohol's role in partner violence may be explained by people's expectations that alcohol will have a disinhibitory effect on behavior or by alcohol's direct physiological disinhibitory effect. It is also possible that people consciously use alcohol as an excuse for their violent behavior or that alcohol appears to be associated with violence because both heavier drinking and violence have common predictors, such as an impulsive personality.
Negotiating Hegemonic Masculinity in a Batterer Intervention Program
Gender & Society, 2007
Domestic violence represents a crucial underpinning of women's continued subordination, which is why much scholarly and activist energy has been expended in designing, implementing, and evaluating programs to reduce it. On the basis of three years of fieldwork, the authors analyze the interactional processes through which masculinity was constructed in one such program. They find that facilitators had success in
The Strategic Marginalization of Working-Class Masculinity in a Batterers' Treatment Program
Gender and Language Journal , 2011
In this paper, we consider how ideologies about heterosexual working-class masculinity play a symbolic role for middle-class, educated men in the context of a batterers' treatment programme. We suggest that the middle-class, educated men who are the focus of this paper create identities for themselves by a process of differentiation, in particular, by distancing themselves from the majority of the men in the batterers' group who supposedly embody a heterosexual working-class masculinity. More specifically, we argue that this kind of identity construction is an integral part of the middle-class men's accounts of their violence: by differentiating themselves from those who they represent as 'real abusers' they manage to diminish and minimize their responsibility for their acts of violence against their domestic partners.
What has masculinity to do with intimate partner violence?
2020
pointed out by a facilitator working in a perpetrator programme in Sweden during Gottzén’s fieldwork in 2010. The facilitator wondered if a focus on masculinity really could contribute to interventions on intimate partner violence. The programme was one of the first in the country working with partner-violent men and combined a feminist perspective with therapeutic and cognitive behavioural interventions. Despite his own feminist standpoint, and despite the fact that the majority of the perpetrators they worked with were men, the programme had in recent years started to refer to their clients in gender-neutral terms. They were called ‘perpetrators’, ‘users of violence’ or ‘clients’, but never ‘violent men’ and definitely not ‘woman batterers’. The semantic change expressed a desire to make the programme more LGBTQ inclusive, but it also indicated a wish to offer abusive heterosexual cis women treatment. As a consequence, not only did this obfuscate the fact that their perpetrators w...
Health & Place, 2013
Objective-This study examined the association between alcohol outlet density and male to female intimate partner violence (IPV). Method-Data were analyzed from a national probability sample of males who reported a current heterosexual relationship (N=3,194). Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the likelihood of having perpetrated IPV. Results-High alcohol outlet density was associated with having perpetrated physical only IPV (odds ratio [OR] = 2.51; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.21-5.20). Outlet density was not associated with greater odds of sexual IPV perpetration. Conclusions-Alcohol outlet density was found to be associated with perpetration of physical IPV. Developing environmental strategies with respect to alcohol outlets could potentially reduce perpetration of male-to-female physical IPV.