Social Causes of Spousal Abuse
Spousal abuse is rooted in any number of causes, one of them being social. A social cause is one that is either primarily expressed in social situations or results directly from social situations. Abusers want to make sure they completely control the abused's social arena depriving them of a strong support system to defend themselves.
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Insecurity
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Insecurity appears to be a major driving force behind this type of abuse. Abusers want to control their spouses in social situations. For example, they will tell the abused individual exactly what to do and treat the person like a child or a servant. They may be jealous of the individual treating anyone else in a polite manner or doing anything for anyone else. They also may be uncomfortable with their spouse to the extent that they require them to frequently make phone calls in to them, if they are even permitted out with friends or other family members.
Women's Rights
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Throughout history, women have been viewed as inferior to men, which plays out in the domestic roles of husbands and wives. Although laws have been written and implemented to prohibit abuse, situations continue to occur that promote spousal abuse toward women. For example, employers often pay women lower wages than they pay men, contributing to a male's sense of superiority. Furthermore, courts do not always punish abusers and so 'trusted' individuals, such as doctors or clergy, try to resolve the problem without legal force or by simply ignoring it.
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Feelings of Inferiority
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Abuse also results when one member of the partnership feels inferior to the other. These feelings can stem from socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. If one of the partners comes from a wealthy family, the other one may never feel like he can be as good, so he might start abusing his spouse as a way to gain power. In the same vein, one of the spouses could be jealous of the other's college diploma and begin abusing her as a way to gain the upper hand.
Media
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The media influences the way men and women think about each other. Pornographic websites, videos, DVDs, magazines and the like show bodies purely used for sexual satisfaction. Although pornography is commonly thought to be more associated with men than with women, that is changing, and both genders are starting to view the other sex in objectified ways causing them to act like the other person is not human, but rather an object. Games and music videos also tend to show men as aggressive, influencing young males to believe such behavior is acceptable. Of course, that also triggers backlash from women.
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References
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