Understanding Woman Abuse in Canada

Abstract

Canada is often defined as a low-violence or very safe country (Currie, 2009). There is much empirical support for this characterisation. However, some people and places in Canada are safer than are others. For example, while most men are immune from physical and sexual assaults in domestic/ household settings, these contexts are extremely dangerous for an alarming number of women. Annually, at least 11 per cent of married/cohabiting women are physically abused by their male partners (DeKeseredy, 2011a). Additionally, ample evidence suggests that Canadian men are more physically violent to adult female intimates than are males in the United States (US) (DeKeseredy, 2011a). Further, approximately 25 per cent of women enrolled at post-secondary schools experience some variation of sexual assault (DeKeseredy and Flack, 2007). Many more statistics support the assertion that it often hurts to be a woman in Canada (DeKeseredy, 2011a) but it is beyond the scope of this chapter to present them. Instead, the main objective is to review Canadian sociological, empirical and theoretical work on woman abuse done so far and to suggest new directions in research and theorising.