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Essay on Human Services
Violence in the home, whether committed by women or men, is a serious social problem. The studies show that violence is damaging in a number of ways, not just in terms of physical injury. There is ample evidence that victims of domestic violence suffer grave damage to their self-esteem, thus reducing the opportunity to be productive citizens. Domestic violence also contributes to drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, attempted suicide, and depression. It is the contribution by women and men to the next generation of violent homes that is the most disturbing aspect of mate abuse. Straus, Gelles, and Steinmetz commented:
Men who had seen parents physically attack each other were almost three times more likely to hit their own wives.Women whose parents were violent had a much higher rate of hitting their own husbands as compared to the daughters of non-violent parents. In fact, the sons of the most violent parents have a rate of wife-beating 1000 per cent greater than that of the sons of non‐ violent parents. The daughters of violent parents have a husband‐ beating rate that is 600 per cent greater than the daughters who grew up in non-violent households .
Even if children grow up in a family that is nonviolent, they still may not escape domestic violence, since about 10 percent of men and women abusers did not experience a violent family life. It is, however, considerably less likely. Straus, Gelles, and Steinmetz add: "Generally, those who grew up in homes in which parents were violent to each other tended to be violent in their own marriages. It made no difference whether it was the father or mother who was violent, or whether the child was a boy or a girl." (M. Straus, R. Gelles, and S. Steinmetz, 1980). Even if we consider only this facet, that violent homes produce more violent homes, there must be concern over violence produced by either gender.....
