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Conflict in Families

responsibility to protect children and
intervene when the aberration of physical
discipline—physical abuse—occurs.
Statistics.According to the U.S.
Department of Justice (Longley, 2005),
family violence accounted for 11% of all
reported and unreported violence between
1998 and 2002. Of these offenses against
family members, 49% were a crime against a
spouse, 11% a parent attacking a child, and
41% an offense against another family
member. Seventy-three percent of family
violence victims were female and 76% of
persons who committed family violence
were male. Family violence is generally
underreported because of the cultural belief
that what happens within the family is
private and out of fear of what might
happen if it is reported.

Spouse Abuse

About 1 in 5 couples each year will

experience at least one violent episode in

their marriage (Rennison, 2003). Spouse

abuse often starts in courtship and

escalates in marriage. It may begin as a

light slap during a frustrating argument.

With each new conflict, the abuse may get

worse. Victims of abuse often feel they

deserve the abuse and have no alternative

but to live in the abusive relationship.

Warning signs of a possible abuser include

extreme jealously, an attempt to control,

and a tendency to blame others. Victims

are often isolated from others, so they may

feel they have nowhere else to go

(American Psychiatric Association, 2005).

Male Dominance.Spousal abuse is

more common in traditional marriages

where the husband is dominant. By

traditional, we are referring to a

contemporary version of a nineteenth-

century model of marriage in which the

husband and wife share one identity—the

identity of the husband. In chapter 6, we

examined how today’s traditional

marriage differs from previous versions.

However, certain elements remain,

including a clear definition of roles.

Husbands are the primary providers and

make most of the decisions. Wives care for

the children and the home, especially

while the children are young.

In the case of spousal abuse, people

who adhere to traditional gender roles

About one forth of family violence is

committed by women.

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