Critical Thinking on Female Perpetrators
Critical Thinking on Female Perpetrators:
While conducting the following literature review of female perpetrators committing violence towards their spouse and children, many ideas and practices discussed are the same, yet some were reviewing violence from both male and females point of view. Nonetheless, it appears that, in all the reviewed articles, the researchers tend to agree that cases of female perpetrators committing violence towards their spouses and children are indeed there. It is undoubtedly that most researches address male-to-female violence, although the articles reviewed here are among those addressing male victimization by female spouses. Physical abuse and violence between spouses and children is the focus of this literature review and it has continued to spark more debate within areas of social policy, practice, and research. In the discussion that will follow, the focus will be on comparing and contrasting the articles, analyzing them critically, and looking at the key concepts.
According to Wilkes & Cho (2009), violence taking place within a relationship, which is intimate in nature is a big social problem. In their observation, the victims, be it children or spouses suffer intense psychological, mental, and physical impacts of violence. It is only after police intervened that most perpetrators have been arrested. In contrast, Feldman and Ridley (2003) hold that, in the last ten years, there has been witnessed increased awareness in the public regarding domestic violence and the consequences it has on the well-being of the family and individuals involved. Although most attention has been geared towards male violence on their spouses and children, studies show that female violence towards their spouses is evident in intimate relationships. In view of Feldman and Ridley (2003), there tends to be equal percentages of females (12%) and males (11%) recorded of being violent towards their partners. In a study of 272 couples intending to get married, majority of females than males recorded cases of being violent towards their spouses at (44% vs. 31%) in pre-marriage, and (36% vs. 27%) in post-marriage of 18 months, and (32% vs. 25%) in a post-marriage of 30 months.
