Feminist Theory

The debate regarding gender within IPV (interpersonal violence) falls between two camps of thought. Feminist theorists such as Johnson (2010) stress that agency data highlight the symmetry of gender within IPV and draw a connection to the use of IPV by males to maintain a patriarchal society and exert intimate terrorism over their partners. Any IPV violence perpetuated by woman is considered violent resistance (Johnson, 2010) to oppression and the patriarchal system. Feminist theorists argue that utilizing data from the CTS (Conflict Tactics Scale) is biased, as the CTS uses survey data that only focuses on the frequency, rather than the severity of IPV. It is also argued that CTS data does not take into consideration circumstances surrounding the action, such as violent resistance and intimate terrorism(Johnson, 2010). Furthermore, Johnson (2010) stresses that family violence theorists ignore agency data in an attempt to invalidate feminist theory, redirecting focus of …show more content…
Ross and Backock (2010) argue that it is biased to ignore evidence collected from the CTS, as symmetry of IPV and gender can only be fairly assessed when data is collected from both partners. Langhintichsen-Rohling (2010) contends that the question of gender symmetry within IPV is stalling the field of IPV research and calls for the unifying of theories in order to bridge the gap between feminist and family violence theorists. Langhintichsen-Rohling asserts that bi-directionally violent couples may include an individual utilizing intimate terrorism to gain power and control as well as an individual who yields difficulties in emotion regulation (Langhintichsen-Rohling,