NCJ Number
195771
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 8 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2002 Pages: 873-900
Editor(s)
Claire M. Renzetti
Date Published
July 2002
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This study attempted to reveal the diversity of partnership violence through the use and analysis of a 1997 postal survey about violence against women conducted in Finland.
Abstract
Prior research on violence against women paints a stereotyped picture of partnership violence making it difficult for both women themselves and professional helpers to identify partner violence and its mechanisms. The objective set forth in this study was to show the diversity of partnership violence by using and analyzing data from a large Finnish survey on violence against women. Data were collected from a postal questionnaire in 1997 with a systematic sample of 7,000 women, ages 18 to 74. Returned questionnaires were received from close to 5,000 women where about 3,500 were married or cohabiting. The analysis showed differences in the patterns of violence and male use of control and power which influenced the meaning the violence had to the women who experienced it and the alternatives they had for responding to it. Cultural perceptions concerning violence such as regarding it as a private matter may prevent members of the social network and helping agencies from seeing the violence as a serious problem. Tables, appendix and references