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 relations of power between men and women.

Feminist theory grew out of an interdisciplinary approach incorporating the disciplines of psychology, sociology, anthropology, politics, economics, religion, biology, and culture. Feminist analysis of violence is informed by everyday lived experiences of women. Because situated knowledge involves the interaction of culture, gender, and power, feminists seek to understand violence from a sociocultural and gendered perspective. Studying violence as it is situated in the lives of women makes explicit the societal relations of power, gender bias, political entitlements, and male privilege that are systemic under patriarchy.

Feminist theory defines patriarchies as systems of male privilege and power that are embedded in societal rules, norms, beliefs, practices, and policies and therefore serve to subordinate, control, and dominate women. Violence against women thus represents one form of patriarchal control, both on an individual and societal level. Feminists assert that patriarchy preserves power in males as the dominant group through exploitation of women as the subordinated group. Patriarchal systems of power become visible in the stratification of society according to class, race, and gender. Patriarchy thus presents a challenge to individual freedom and personal autonomy because it structures social relations on the basis of male power and privilege. Systemic submission of women to social [Page 12]structures of male domination occur in many arenas, including the family, workplace, media, religion, law, economics, politics, and education. Women as well as men often participate below the level of self-awareness in the social reproduction of patriarchy within society.

Power within patriarchy is often expressed as aggression, violence, or coercion. More subtle expressions of male power over women serve to restrict options available to women. For example, economic power is found in sex segregation in the workplace, placing women in underpaid and devalued positions that economically disadvantage them. Welfare payment to mothers trapped in poverty is one example of patriarchal state power that systemically promotes the passivity and submission of women. High rates of poverty, in turn, exacerbate violence as women remain with abusive partners because of economic dependence. Feminists thus assert that women must gain equal access to political, social, and economic resources in order to have real freedom from aggression, violence, and coercion.