Why Do Men Batter Women?

SOME experts say that women are more likely to be killed by their male partners than by all other types of perpetrators combined. In an effort to stem the tide of spouse abuse, numerous studies have been conducted. What kind of man batters his wife? What was his childhood like? Was he violent during courtship? How does the batterer respond to treatment?

One thing experts have learned is that not all batterers are alike. At one end of the scale is a man whose violence is sporadic. He does not use a weapon and has no history of abusing his mate. For him, a violent episode is out of character and seems to be motivated by external factors. At the other extreme is a man who has developed a chronic pattern of battering. His abuse is ongoing, and there is little, if any, sign of remorse.

However, the fact that there are different kinds of batterers does not mean that some forms of battering aren’t serious. Indeed, any type of physical abuse can cause injury—even death. Hence, the fact that one man’s violence is less frequent or less intense than another’s does not make it excusable. There is simply no such thing as “acceptable” battering. What factors, though, might cause a man to abuse physically the woman he vowed to cherish for the rest of his life?

The Family Connection

Not surprisingly, a number of physically abusive men were themselves raised in abusive families. “Most batterers were brought up in domestic ‘war zones,’” writes Michael Groetsch, who has spent more than two decades researching spouse abuse. “As babies and young children, they grew up in hostile surroundings where emotional and physical violence were ‘normal.’” According to one expert, a male who is raised in such an environment “can absorb his father’s contempt for women very early in life. The boy learns that a man must always be in control of women and that the way to get that control is to scare them, hurt them, and demean them. At the same time, he learns that the one sure way to get his father’s approval is to behave as his father does.”

The Bible makes clear that the conduct of a parent can have a significant impact on a child, either for good or for bad. (Proverbs 22:6; Colossians 3:21) Of course, the family environment does not excuse a man’s battering, but it may help to explain where the seeds of a violent temperament were sown.

Cultural Influence

In some lands beating a woman is considered acceptable, even normal. “The right of a husband to beat or physically intimidate his wife is a deeply held conviction in many societies,” states a United Nations report.

Even in lands where such abuse is not considered acceptable, many individuals adopt a violent code of conduct. The irrational thinking of some men in this regard is shocking. According to South Africa’s Weekly Mail and Guardian, a study in the Cape Peninsula found that the majority of men who claimed that they do not abuse their mates felt that hitting a woman was acceptable and that such conduct does not constitute violence.

Evidently, such a warped view often begins in childhood. In Britain, for example, one study showed that 75 percent of boys aged 11 and 12 feel that it is acceptable for a man to hit a woman if he is provoked.

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Risk Indicators

According to a study directed by Richard J. Gelles at the University of Rhode Island, U.S.A., the following are risk indicators for physical and emotional abuse in the domestic setting:

1. The man has previous involvement with domestic violence.

2. He is out of work.

3. He uses illegal drugs at least once a year.

4. When he lived at home, he saw his father hit his mother.

5. The couple are not married; they cohabit.

6. If employed, he has a low-paying job.

7. He did not graduate from high school.

8. He is between 18 and 30 years of age.

9. One or both use violence toward children in the home.

10. Income is below the poverty level.

11. The man and woman are from different cultural backgrounds.