Aggression: Feminist Perspective

Feminist theory represents divergent perspectives that are still emerging; however, there is widespread consensus that traditional academic research has failed to recognize the relationship between power and gender in violence. Feminist perspectives challenge the claim that individual pathology is the root cause of violent behavior and use gender as a starting point for analysis of violence. In this view, violence reflects issues of gendered power, oppression, and resistance in the larger society. Most research by feminists focuses on violence against women that revolves around two core concepts, situated knowledge and patriarchy. Feminists argue that gender-based power relations underscore all social institutions, including economic, political, educational, social, religious, and familial. This perspective thus asserts that the root causes of violence against women are contained within unequal ...