The Violence Against Women Act is up for a reauthorization in 2019. This reauthorization needs to be based on the latest surveys and scientific research.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control conducts an annual survey called the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS). The telephone survey asks about Americans’ experience with domestic violence.
Previous surveys have revealed near-parity between men and women in their rates of partner violence. But the most recent survey reveals a surprising shift: Men now are 31% more likely to be the victims of overall physical violence during the previous 12 months – 3.8% among men versus 2.9% for women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2015 Data Brief – Updated Release, Atlanta, Georgia. 2018. Tables 9 and 11. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/2015data-brief508.pdf ) :
Police Response
Despite the fact that the number of male victims far outweighs the number of female victims, the NISVS ((Breiding, M.J., Chen J., & Black, M.C. (2014). Intimate Partner Violence in the United States (2010). Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Table 7.2. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/cdc_nisvs_ipv_report_2013_v17_single_a.pdf ) reveals that male victims of partner violence, sexual assault, or stalking are far less likely to have positive experiences in their dealings with police, compared to women:
Percentages of persons saying police were “very” helpful:
- Men: 21.0%
- Women: 36.5%
Percentages of persons saying police were “not at all” helpful:
- Men: 52.0%
- Women: 33.7%
As a result, men are three times less likely to report such incidents to police, compared to women (12.6% versus 36.3%) (Breiding, M.J., Chen J., & Black, M.C. (2014). Intimate Partner Violence in the United States (2010). Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Figure 7.2. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/cdc_nisvs_ipv_report_2013_v17_single_a.pdf ).
Same-Sex Partners
The NISVS also provides information on persons in same-sex versus heterosexual relationships. Of interest, lesbian same-sex relationships have higher rates of lifetime rates of physical violence, compared to gay or heterosexual couples (NISVS: 2010 Findings on Victimization by Sexual Orientation. Tables 6 and 7. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_sofindings.pdf ):
| MALES | Gay | Bisexual | Heterosexual |
| Slapped, pushed, or shoved | 24.0% | 27.0% | 26.3% |
| Any severe physical violence | 16.4% | [Number too small to report] | 13.9% |
| Total | 40.0% | 27.0% | 40.2% |
| FEMALES | Lesbian | Bisexual | Heterosexual |
| Slapped, pushed, or shoved | 36.3% | 55.1% | 29.8% |
| Any severe physical violence | 29.4% | 49.3% | 23.6% |
| Total | 65.7% | 100.0% | 53.4% |
End to the Theory of Patriarchal Control?
For years, the Violence Against Women Act has been based on the notion that domestic violence is caused by patriarchal power and control.
But when women are more likely to be the abusers, that theory goes out the window.
The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act needs to address the many causes of domestic violence (Centers for Disease Control: Intimate Partner Violence: Risk and Protective Factors. http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/intimatepartnerviolence/riskprotectivefactors.html ), especially alcohol abuse, marital discord, and childhood emotional trauma.