Battered Woman Syndrome
Abstract About 40 years ago domestic violence was a rare event. At this time it was conventional wisdom that a man would “occasionally” hit his wife or significant other as a means of discipline. In fact English common law sanctioned wife beating was justified under the infamous "rule of thumb," which decreed that a man might use a "rod not thicker than his thumb" with which to chastise his wife. Women rarely opposed their husbands and remained passive throughout the many physical, verbal and emotional assaults. However some women lashed out against their abusive partners, some going as far as murdering the significant other. In the 1970’s a psychologist Dr. Lenore Walker coined the term “Battered Woman Syndrome” which she deems as psychological phenomenon to explain why some women do not leave long term abusive relationships and to justify the murders of men who systematically abused their significant others. This paper will seek to discuss define and explain as well as discuss the origin of Walker’s “Battered Woman Syndrome”, as well as explore the validity of its use in legal defenses for homicide and excuse in failure to protect a child from abuse.
Origin of the Battered Woman Syndrome:
From latter part of the 1950’s to beginning part of the 1960’s the woman’s movement became a strong presence in the United States as feminist proactively sought to attain equal rights for women particularly in the workforce. Many scholars and organizations actively invoked women’s rights laws to change women’s status from simply the chattel of men to equal citizens. One major contributor Betty Friedan argued that society defined women’s purpose as "finding a husband and bearing children"(197). Friedan encouraged readers to seek new roles and responsibilities, to seek their own personal and professional identities rather than have them defined by the outside, patriarchal society.
Throughout this period, women gained great strides in attaining equal rights and
Origin of the Battered Woman Syndrome:
From latter part of the 1950’s to beginning part of the 1960’s the woman’s movement became a strong presence in the United States as feminist proactively sought to attain equal rights for women particularly in the workforce. Many scholars and organizations actively invoked women’s rights laws to change women’s status from simply the chattel of men to equal citizens. One major contributor Betty Friedan argued that society defined women’s purpose as "finding a husband and bearing children"(197). Friedan encouraged readers to seek new roles and responsibilities, to seek their own personal and professional identities rather than have them defined by the outside, patriarchal society.
Throughout this period, women gained great strides in attaining equal rights and
References: A Safe Place - Lake County Crisis Center. Accessed October 13, 2010 http://www.asafeplaceforhelp.org/batteredwomenstatistics.html Friedan, Betty, and Anna Quindlen. The feminine mystique. W.W Norton & Company, 2001 Helplessness, 1988. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books. and Motherhood: The Case of Angelina Napolitano, 1911–1922 . Canadian Historical Review. 72.4 (1991): 505-531. Print Noonan, S Criminal Defences (or (re)inscribing the Familiar." (1996): 198. Web. October 15, 2010 Walker, L