Intimate Partner Violence: Gendered Discourses Within a Human Context

Abstract

Dominant cultural discourses of femininity and masculinity may intersect to perpetuate the high incidence of intimate partner violence, thereby framing the phenomena as a human issue. Our understanding of female and male perpetration of violence is thwarted by several complications, thereby convoluting understandings of bi-directional violence perpetration. Situational couple violence also provides evidence that IPV is a shared human issue. Dominant cultural discourses related to masculinity and femininity uncovered through the media, the justice system, and types of service provision show intersections that perpetuate IPV experiences. Recommendations to better support both offenders and victims drawn from the examination of discourses are suggested.