Hitting Home: Men Speak About Abuse of Women Partners

• NCJ Number: 158605
• Author(s): J Leibrich; J Paulin; R Ransom
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 243 pages
• Sale Source: New Zealand Dept of Justice
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: New Zealand

Annotation

This research report presents prevalence rate data on the abuse of women by New Zealand men, explores dimensions of psychological and physical abuse and abusive behavior patterns, and examines the assumption that what men say they think about abuse is directly related to what they do in their own homes.

Abstract

Commissioned by the New Zealand Department of Justice, the research systematically investigated two major explanations for domestic abuse, control of women and loss of anger control. Two studies were conducted, a survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,000 men and a followup survey of 200 of these men. Research questions focused on men's grasp of the problem of physical abuse, whether New Zealand men condoned the abuse of women partners, what proportion of New Zealand men were abusive toward their women partners, and whether abusive behavior was related to a man's social profile. The study of 2,000 men found they were fairly liberal in their attitudes toward women, had a high level of general hostility and anger, and generally knew hitting a woman was a crime. The men tended to reject the use of physical force in families, although 25 percent condoned the physical abuse of women partners in some circumstances. Of the 2,000 men, 21 percent reported at least one physically abusive act during the past year and 35 percent committed at least one such act during their lifetime. The followup study of 200 men revealed perceptions on abuse causes, with 98 percent indicating alcohol was a trigger rather than an underlying cause of physical abuse. Perceived abuse causes most often suggested by the men were money-related stress, frustration, poor upbringing, lack of communication, desire to control women, jealousy, and infidelity. Of the 200 men, 46 percent thought the man was in charge in most marriages, 37 percent thought control of women was a major reason for hitting, and 65 percent thought loss of anger control was a major reason for hitting. Implications of the study findings are discussed, and future research is suggested. Appendixes contain supplemental research data and the study questionnaires. 124 references, 91 tables, and 50 figures