For many years research has stated that violence toward women is propelled by man’s need for power and control. In Hanna Rosin’s new book, “The End of Men,” she makes the case that men are losing power and significance in a world that requires greater emotional and social intelligence to rise and succeed. Could this mean that domestic violence may some day become extinct?
I recently discussed this possibility in a column entitled “The Demise of Patriarchy; the End of Domestic Violence?” for the Lakeshore Alliance Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (LAADSV) and in an interview with Shelley Irwin on WGVU Radio 88.5.
I don’t believe that domestic violence will become extinct just because men lose power and control in the work place. It’s not that simple. Acts of verbal and physical aggression in intimate relationships are motivated by different things and they range in scope and severity. Each case needs to be addressed separately. But, imagine a world where acts of aggression limit power, where might makes wrong, and control is taken away from those compelled to control. I find this idea exciting and hopeful.
Read my column in the LAADSV newsletter or listen to my WGVU interview to learn more about my thoughts on this topic.
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