WHY WOMAN STAY IN ABUSIVE/VIOLENT RELATIONSHIPS?

Sociological Research Analysis Paper

Topic: Why Woman Stay in Abusive/Violent Relationships

Sociology 1A06 C03

Term 3

Tutor: Ishmael Traore

By: Maurisha Marie Dolson

Student ID: 1073405

Date: Tuesday March 7th, 2011

(Scholz, 2010) (Scholz, 2010) (Scholz, 2010) (Placeholder1)

Table of Contents

Introduction 3-4

Theoretical Application 4

Literature Review 5-8

Methodologies 8-9

Findings / Analysis (Data literature and Theoretical Prospectus) 9-12

Conclusion/ Contribution……………………………………………………………………………………………………..12-13

Why Woman Stay in Abusive/Violent Relationships

Introduction

Why do woman stay in abusive or violent relationships? Authors define violence of woman as “one that is encompasses physical, psychological and structural forms of abuse (McKenna, Larkin, 2002, p. 10). Violence against woman has become a major social problem where there is an unequal power relation between woman and men. Violence against woman is a manifestation of male dominance that prevent woman to have atonement and to be successful members of society. The effects of violence robe woman of their voice, equality self worth, security and human dignity to survive. General of the United Nations at the Global Conference March 1999 stated, “Violence against woman is perhaps the most persuasive. It knows no boundaries of geography culture or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace” (Unifem, 2003, p.8). Globally and historically inequality and violence against woman have co-existed.

Thesis This paper will focus and examine the factors that conjugate woman to remain in these intimate relationships from a functionalist and radical feminist theory perspective. The literature on woman in abusive relationships have suggested and shown several variables that are associated with woman staying with abusive partners. The focus of this paper will be the primary reasons that the authors identify as the root causes for abusive relationships and will be the topics of the literature review: the -economic status, the legal system, and the patriarchal family structure. After assessing the academic literature, this paper will evaluate data from two newspaper articles that is relevant to my topic and analyze them to the literature. In this way my paper will argue that the systems theory would be a method to improve the lives of woman in abusive relationship and to enjoy the fundamental freedoms of life.

Methodology

Theoretical Application of Violence/Abuse against Woman

Functionalism perspectives state that family is viewed as a positive institution. The family focus is heavily on the nuclear, heterosexual families to the exclusion of other family form (McKenna, Larkin, 2002, p. 15). Within nuclear families the roles that are allocated between husbands and wives in accordance with the assumed instrumental characteristics of males which make them more suited to bread winner outside of the home and the assumed expressive characteristics of females which make them more suited to childcare and domestic work. Functionalist argue that the nuclear family suites the needs in an advanced industrial society for a geographically and socially mobile network. “A well regulated society should impose controls (social controls) on human desires” (Wilson, p.19).

The “radical feminist theory locate woman's subordination in a patriarchal system rooted in the male domination and the control of all institutions in public ...