Husband Abuse: Equality with a Vengeance?

• Published in: Canadian journal of criminology and criminal justice 2006-09, Vol.48 (5), p.753-780
• Main Authors: Minaker, Joanne Cheryl, Snider, Laureen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Criminal Justice; Domestic violence; Family Violence; Feminist theories; Feminist Theory; Husbands
• ISSN: 1707-7753; 1911-0219
• DOI: 10.1353/ccj.2006.0053

The original problem of "wife abuse," which feminists constituted in the 1970s, has morphed into "domestic violence" & then into "husband abuse." We present a case study of the newly discovered problem of "husband abuse," which we argue exemplifies the complexities of neo-liberalism, neo-conservatism & feminist engagement with the criminal justice state. We argue that the myth that men are battered as often as women, an argument that challenges decades of feminist research, theory & activism, is constitutive of a backlash against women's safety & feminist "victories." We caution that such claims must be read as more than anti-feminist backlash, but are increasingly becoming the new "common sense," the dominant lens used by policy-makers, media & influential interest groups. We demonstrate how the very successes of feminism, combined with neo-liberal governance, the burgeoning power of men's movements & new communication media, have given rise to new subjects, mentalities & practices. As the claim that male & female partners are equally prone to violence resonates with discourses of equality & reinforces constituencies promoting criminal justice "solutions" to all social problems the result is equality with a vengeance. References. Adapted from the source document.