Theoretical Explanations for Domestic Violence Social Research Paper

Theoretical Explanations for Domestic Violence
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Theoretical Explanations for Domestic Violence
Introduction
Domestic violence is one of the major societal problems experienced around the world. According to Guerin and Ortolan (2017), domestic violence encompasses aspects such as bullying, intimidation, and in extreme cases, murder perpetrated by an individual within a domestic setting. Over the years, scholars and different stakeholders have made efforts to identify means of reducing the incident of domestic violence and mitigate its effect on victims and society in general. However, domestic violence remains an issue, with most victims being women and perpetrators being men. This is not to say that women are always the victims because, in some cases, women initiate domestic violence on men. Historically, domestic violence rooted in the patriarchal system characterizes many societies worldwide (Tonsing & Tonsing, 2017). For this paper, domestic violence addresses violence against women, a shared perspective through feminism. Gosselin (2019) indicates that the feminist perspective on domestic violence views domestic violence as a form of oppression against women. Understanding how domestic violence occurs and why it remains such a thorny issue in today's society is the first step towards creating a more effective approach to protect victims and assign responsibility to perpetrators. This paper aims at providing a theoretical framework that can help gain different perspectives on domestic violence, thus creating a better understanding of the issue. To achieve the paper's aim, a literature review is provided explaining two major domestic violence theories and a critique of the theories that will then offer recommendations on how domestic violence can be lessened.
Literature Review
This paper will focus on two main theories, namely: the resource theory and the patriarchal theory.
Resource Theory
Access and control of resources in a domestic setting are paramount in determining the power distribution. People who control resources within a domestic setting have more power when it comes to decision-making, among other things. This is why the resource theory is an important theory that has been used as a theoretical foundation for domestic violence. The resource theory posits that individuals have more power within a relationship if their contribution to resources within their specific setting is high (Lenze & Klasen, 2016). In traditional family settings, men contribute more in terms of resources because they are considered the primary breadwinners. As such, they possess more power over other family members, which puts them in a position of dominance. According to Aziz, Idris, Shak, Wahid, and Yazid (2018), domestic violence, as explained by the resource theory, occurs when men in this traditional role of the primary breadwinner have access to few resources and, as such, providing adequately for their families becomes a challenge. This lack of resources can strain relationships and put too much pressure on the involved parties. As indicated by Lenze and Klasen (2016), when a household has access to more resources, the economic and financial pressure decreases. Consequently, the inci...