Women may be more likely to be aggressive to their partners than men, according to a study presented this week as part of a symposium on intimate partner violence (IPV) at the British Psychological Society’s Division of Forensic Psychology annual conference in Glasgow.Dr Elizabeth Bates from the University of Cumbria and colleagues from the University of Central Lancashire gave a total of 1104 students (706 women and 398 men; aged between 18 to 71 with an average age of 24) questionnaires about their physical aggression and controlling behaviour, to partners and to same-sex others (including friends).
The fundings showed that women were more likely to be physically aggressive to their partners than men and that men were more likely to be physically aggressive to their same-sex others.
Furthermore, women engaged in significantly higher levels of controlling behaviour than men, which significantly predicted physical aggression in both sexes.
Commenting on the findings, lead researcher Dr Elizabeth Bates said: “Previous studies have sought to explain male violence towards women as rising from patriarchal values, which motivate men to seek to control women’s behaviour, using violence if necessary. This study found that women demonstrated a desire to control their partners and were more likely to use physical aggression than men. ”
Although this study is limited in scope and looked only at students, it does challenge the simplistic analysis of domestic violence and the focus of interventions.
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