The invisible man : Exploring the role of feminism in gendered misrepresentation of partner abuse

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2015-06-15
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en
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Abstract
This paper argues there is a schism within the field of partner abuse between 'feminists' and 'anti-feminists'. The paper aims to resolve tensions between these two 'camps' by shedding light on three points of discussions. A literature review is used to shed light on the gendered occurrence of partner abuse. It is concluded that partner abuse is a human problem which significantly affects both men and women, even though the consequences of partner abuse for women are worse. A quantitative analysis of Dutch newspaper articles between 2000 and 2013 (n= 1897) is conducted to answer how newspapers frame partner abuse. This analysis shows there was an enormous increase in coverage. Also little attention is paid to same-sex and female-on-male partner violence. Lastly a qualitative analysis is conducted to investigate the role feminism has played in the Netherlands and on the EU. Feminists have consistently pushed for addressing partner abuse as a women's problem and have resisted the framing of partner abuse as a human problem. The exact influence feminism had in the Netherlands and on the EU is difficult to determine, but there are some indications this influence has been significant.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen
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