Journal Title

Ohio Northern University Law Review

Volume

18

Issue

3

First Page

601

Document Type

Article

Publication Information

1992

Abstract

In recent years there has been a lot of attention focused on the specific issue of the battered women, and the battered women who eventually fight violence with violence. This is with good reason, since it is a widespread and serious problem for modern society. The authors whose works are discussed here struggle with notions of male dominance, experiment with legal tests, and manipulate the instruments of law enforcement in an attempt to figure out exactly what to do with, and for, these people in abusive relationships. However, as the authors themselves indicate, the problem is much deeper in modern culture and these issues just scratch at the surface.

The problem concerning this type of violence is a combination of societal attitudes about women and attitudes about violence. However, feminists believe the issue is completely shaped by gender-related discrimination, and so distrust the political (male-dominated) solution.

Instead, the focus should be on the vulnerability of the victims of violence, and that this vulnerability is not exclusively linked to sexism in the system: legal or social. The views and treatment of women needs to be changed. Part of that change will in fact be accomplished through the revision of legal rules, consciousness-raising, and education. But the sea of change will have to come about through deeper, tougher, and more fundamental revision of our thoughts about violence. Sexism in the family, in the social system, and in the legal system must go, but so must violence.

Recommended Citation

Victoria Mather, A Scary Tale: Battered Women Who Kill Their Abusers, 18 Ohio N.U. L. Rev. 601 (1992).

Included in

Law Commons

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.