Posted by F.Y.I. on July 14, 2005 at 10:04:09 (PST):
In Reply to: Re: Domestic abuse fact posted by F.Y.I. on July 14, 2005 at 09:55:07 (PST):
: : : Around 32 per cent of women in the city are victims of domestic violence and a large number of the instances are from upper middle class homes. "These violent acts could be perpetrated by any male member — father, husband, brother or even son. Unlike popular belief, such acts are not restricted to slums, but common even in plush apartments," a police officer said. Human rights lawyer Subhojit Roy agreed. "At least 21 per cent of upper-class women face domestic violence in some form, be it physical harassment, marital rape or psychological persecution. A study on the number of upper-class women visiting psychiatrists for counselling would confirm this."
: : 32%? where did this figure come from? I am doubtful that this is accurate.
: **Study was organised by international human rights organisation Breakthrough and city-based NGO Thoughtstop.**Chilling facts,I know..
Here is an example of why you may have doubted the 32%.....
From Women's VU
In the Library
by Barbara Clarke
Study focuses on hidden abuse among upper-class families, plus 2 new books from bell hooks
Domestic violence is rarely considered to be a problem among upper-class families, and social workers and psychologists who hear of such abuse tend to be much less sympathetic to well-heeled
victims than to other battered women. Susan Weitzman, a practicing psychotherapist and a lecturer at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, discusses this little-known problem in “Not to People Like Us”: Hidden Abuse in Upscale Marriages (Basic Books, 2000).
The women in Weitzman’s study were all well-educated and were married to high-income, sometimes prominent men; some of the women were professionals themselves while others were homemakers. As these women are infrequently seen in emergency rooms and are reluctant to report their abuse to anyone, they have largely been omitted from studies of violent families. Many people find it hard to believe that upscale men could threaten or batter their wives and harm their children.
The researcher illustrates why it is so hard for these women to report abuse and to seek help; many factors contribute to their silence. Few people understand why such women stay with abusive husbands when they appear to have the resources to leave. The pattern of domestic violence in upper-class families differs in a number of respects from that in middle- and low-income families. Upscale victims can make choices in ways that other women cannot. Some of the women in the study carefully planned their escape from the abusive
partner; they put aside money or waited until their children had completed school.
Weitzman describes the characteristics of the batterers, who do not fit existing stereotypes of abusive men. Most have a strong sense of entitlement, narcissistic tendencies and unrealistic expectations about how wives should act. Many are prominent, powerful and respected figures in their community. None of those in the study helped with housework or childcare, even when they employed no household help. Unlike less-affluent abusers, they rarely apologized or showed remorse after violent incidents.
As well as discussing the effects of violence on the children in these families the writer explains how therapists and others can assist battered upscale women to cope and to make the right choices for themselves and their chidren.
Hope this was helpful...