Pui+Sze+Betsy+Wong

Course: CCT205H5 Digital Innovation and Cultural Transformation Individual Research Assignment
 * Pui Sze Betsy Wong **

Many years ago, females were always portrayed as weak and dependent persons, who always needed support from males. Women are being treated differently than men everywhere, such as in the workplace or family. As women are receiving more education, their social status is rising and hence receiving more employment opportunities. The higher social status narrows down the gap of gender inequality in the workplace. Although women are gaining more respect in the workplace, many of them are still suffering and being abused at home. Women abuse is a serious concern for the society since it can bring the impacts of physical damages, reproductive problem, and mental problem to the victims. Women abuse exists anywhere in the world. Any woman can be the next victim since it may happen to any female without the boundary of age, race, culture, or religion. Statistics show that 83% of the victims of spousal violence cases in 2006 were females (Statistic Canada 12). In general, women abuse means that a woman is being threatened or treated in a harmful way, or maybe even in an offensive way by her partner, spouse, or family member. However, there are different types of women abuse that exist in today’s society such as physical, sexual, emotional, or financial abuse. Physical abuse is the most common and obvious types of abuse, which involves the assaults such as punching, beating, slapping, choking, kicking, or pulling hair. Basically, any act of violence that can physically harm the victims will be considered as physical abuse. Sexual abuse involves participating any unwanted sexual activity that is forced by the other half, unwanted touching, rape, or sexual harassment. Moreover, emotional abuse often includes insults, yelling, threatening, isolating, or harassing the victim or her family members by stalking them. Emotional abuse often has the greatest impact on the victims compared to other types of women abuse since the impacts cannot be discovered physically. Financial abuse can be the prevention the victim to work, to choose her job, to access the bank account, to save any money, to own any assets. The victims are being controlled by the abusers through collecting all of the money and hence become financially dependent on the abusers. Therefore, every female may unfortunately experience different types of abuse since women abuse happens to anywhere and anyone no matter their age, race, culture, or religion. Women abuse is a serious concern that does not only require attention to the number of victims and yet people should pay attention to the causes of women abuse. There are three factors, which often increase the likelihood of women being abuse. They are biological, gender-role socialization, and relational factors. Biological factors such as the genetics, endocrine level, and brain dysfunction have been tested on men to see if they can affect the men’s tendency of being violent towards women. In Tedeschi and Felson’s research on studies of twins, it was concluded that “aggressive behabiour is not caused directly by genetic factors, but that these factors indirectly influence or modify aggressive behaviour”. (Harway and M. O’Neil 53) On the other hand, Virkkunen’s research has shown that the violent male prisoners have higher level of testosterone than the group of volunteers. (Harway and M. O’Neil 54) It was believed that the frontal lobe dysfunction had a positive relationship with the frequency of acting violent. (Harway and M. O’Neil 58) Therefore, the researches have proven that the endocrine level and brain dysfunction can greatly affect the men’s tendency of being violent towards women. In addition, gender-role socialization factors can contribute to violence against women. Males learn the role of masculinity and femininity through the stereotypes in femininity through media, school, and society. Women are always perceived as weak persons. When they compare their own masculine identity with the extremely high standard that is built in the society, they may fear and anxious about not meeting the gender-role expectation. Eventually, the fear and anxious will trigger more conflicts with women and being violent to women. Relational factors explain why men will be violence against women. Stress and use of alcohol and drugs will all contribute to family violence. The inability to maintain family support will create stress to males and hence increase the likelihood of being violence towards their wives. After taking drugs or alcohol, they may “exacerbate an individuals emotional instability or to intensify interpersonal conflicts”. (Harway and M. O’Neil 144) Thus, the biological, gender-role socialization, and relational factors are the main contributors to women abuse in today’s society. Women abuse does not only physically harm the women and also bring the impact of reproductive and mental problems to them. “Violence has been linked to a host of different health outcomes, both immediate and long-term.” (G. Krug 100) The most obvious physical injuries on women who experienced women abuse are bruises, burns, cuts, bites, broken bones, and lost teeth. There are more serious physical consequences of women abuse such as chronic pain syndromes, fibromyalgia, fracture, gastrointestinal disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, and ocular damage. (G. Krug 101) Furthermore, women who experienced unwanted sexual activity will be more likely to have unwanted pregnancy. This unwanted pregnancy will further increase the rate of unsafe abortion. Also, unsafe abortion may lead to infertility to those victims. The unwanted sexual activity can directly transmit the diseases such as HIV and AIDS to the victims and hence increase the mortality rate. Some women may also experience women abuse during pregnancy, which eventually cause miscarriage or low birth weight. (G. Krug 101) Women abuse also affects the mental health of the victims. “These women are at risk for many health problems, including suicide, the abuse of other substances, and depression.” (Malley Morrison and A. Hines 92) Women who experienced abuse will more likely suffer depression and anxiety than normal females. The depression and anxiety will lead to eating and sleep disorder. Victims may also feel shame and guilt of being abused by their partners. The feeling of shame and guilt will build low self-esteem to the victims. The victims will try to take drug and alcohol or smoke to avoid the reality, which is going to cause more health problems to them. If the victims do not receive enough attention and are lack of care, they may kill their partners or commit suicide to escape from life. Hence, women abuse does not only cause physical injuries to the victims and also create many hidden impacts such as reproductive and mental problems to them. Women abuse is always an important issue in today’s society. There are different types of women abuse such as physical, sexual, emotional, or financial abuse. Certain types of women abuse are easily recognized, however some are not. Some women may not realize that they are being abused since there are some types of abuse, which do not create any physical injury to the victims. Mostly, women abuse is caused by three factors. They are biological, gender-role socialization, and relational factors. Those factors commonly cause the males to be violent against women. Women abuse can bring physical injuries to women. It may further cause the reproductive and mental problems to them. Women abuse is a painful experience to every victim and thus this is an issue that requires more attention from the society.
 * “ **** Women Abuse and Impacts on Women” **

__ Works Cited __ "Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile 2008." Oct 2008. Statistics Canada. 2 Feb 2009 . G. Krug, Etienne. __ World Report on Violence and Health __. World Health Organization, 2002. Harway, Michele, and James M. O'Neil. __ What Causes Men's Violence Against __ __ Women? __ . Sage Publications, Inc, 1999. Malley-Morrison, Kathleen, and Denise A. Hines. __ Family Violence in a Cultural __ __ Perspective __. Sage Publications, Inc, 2004. M. Mann, Ruth. __ Who Owns Domestic Abuse? __ . University of Toronto Press, 2000. "Women Abuse." 10 June 2005. Public Health Agency of Canada. 2 Feb 2009 .