Physical assault in marital conflict: a social problem re-examined

Abstract

The physical assault of a wife by her husband has been prevalent in our society throughout the centuries. However, it is only recently that wife-assaulting has become a subject for scientific research and public comment. Such social forces as child abuse, political and social violence and the Women's Movement are some of the reasons offered as to why this subject has gained public and scientific attention. It is impossible to estimate the prevalence of wife-assaulting in society at this time as there are no figures available. The only way to estimate the extent of the problem is to use information closely related to marital conflict such as police records and divorce figures. Such information revealed that marital assault is an extremely common occurrence. The two aims of this small study are:- 1. To investigate the New Zealand scene and to compare the findings with overseas results. 2. To recommend ways social workers and social welfare agencies could be more effective in dealing with this complex problem. The information was obtained by interviewing eleven women who had been recently assaulted by their spouses and for one reason or another, had sought assistance from a social welfare agency. Although this study had many limitations, a number of patterns did emerge, some of which were unexpected. It was noted that the wife presented as the dominant, controlling partner while the husband presented as the passive, dependent counterpart. Furthermore, a high proportion of the men had experienced negative relationships with their dominant mothers. Another pattern which became clear was that none of the couples had worked out a mutually constructive method for resolving conflicts and arguments. Many of my findings such as the use of alcohol, family structure and the length of time married were similar to overseas findings. The myths that exist about wife-assaulting, namely that it is a lower-class phenomenon and that women remain in the marriage because they like being beaten were not substantiated by the findings of this study. A number of gaps in service delivery indicated ways in which social workers could be more effective, though some aspects of service delivery, quoted in the overseas literature, do not appear to be applicable to New Zealand at the present time. Any lasting solution to this complex problem should come from the collective thinking of researchers and practitioners in government and private social agencies. Men as well as women must come to realise that violence in the home is not a private affair but a grave social problem.