NCJ Number
190136
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 7 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2001 Pages: 760-778
Date Published
July 2001
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article explores the key components of feminist politics that prompted the establishment of shelters for abused women in Germany and discusses the complexities and contradictions that the early principles of this movement carried within them.
Abstract
Under the influence of feminist ideology that emerged more than 25 years ago, women were viewed as nonviolent, sensitive, ethical, and emotionally mature compared to the brutal, insensitive, and primitive behavior of men. The investment of femaleness with positive meaning was the necessary condition for the formation of women's initiatives and self-help groups in Germany. The current challenge is to develop a more realistic view of women without returning to the idealization of men. A new topic being widely discussed is the quest for gender democracy, which was initially proposed by feminists in the Green Party (Henschel, 2000). The goal is to implement gender equality on all societal levels. There is a new realization that women and children who have been abused need the help and services of all people of good will, so there is a new effort toward cooperation among women's help groups, the legal system, the police, and other institutions with valuable resources. There is less defensiveness regarding change in project structures in achieving professional organizational development. There are debates on differences between women and how to cope with them, especially concerning intercultural approaches. Special programs for working with the children of battered women are taken more seriously, and there are efforts to develop feminist programs that will work with women who are themselves physically or sexually violent, mostly toward children. 11 notes and 16 references