Chapter 12: Power

What is expert power? Informational power?

-*Expert*: stems from the dominant person's superior judgment, knowledge, or ability. Attribute expertise in matter such as finances to men, and women to children & in the domestic sphere -*Information*: persuasive content of what the dominant person tells another individual. May be persuaded to charge less on a credit when the other shares info on card's high interest rate.

What is the cycle of violence and the three phases?

-*Phase 1*: the violent episode itself, including physical, emotional or sexual abuse, typically growing more violent over the course of the relationship -*phase 2*: a calm period, known as the honeymoon phase, abuser may ignore or deny the violence, blame the episode on the victim, act sorry, send cards & flowers. -*Phase 3*: tension buildup during which the victim feels increasingly disappointed & intimated while the abusers behavior is unpredictable & threatening -without therapy the cycle repeats with phase 2 being short & one and three being longer.

Power politics vs. Freely Cooperative Relationships

-*Power politics*; power struggles between spouses in which each seeks to gain a power advantage over the other; the opposite of a no-power relationship. They hint at leaving the marriage, act sulky, critical, distant. Keep going with this behavior until he or she fears the mate will stop dancing if it keeps going. -Creates alienation & loneliness for both partners. -People who share power are more satisfied overall with their relationship. Respect, equally committed and listened to when concerns are raised lead to this. -Changing powers can be hard bc usually power patterns have been established from the earliest days of the relationship. Have symbolic meaning. -Negotiate, using communication techniques

What theory is applied to abused women's decision to stay or leave?

-Exchange theory; abused partner weighs such things as investment in the relationship, dis/satisfication with the relationship, alternatives, whether its okay to leave. Whether it is possible to, subjective norm. -personal resources & barriers, structural barriers.

What are some gender differences in power?

-Feminist Gillespie said power-granting resources are socially structured by gender & hence unevenly distributed in heterosexual relationships. -Majority of men earn more than their women & have greater access to economic resources -during the 1950s men had more expert & informational power than wives; men had greater physical strength that can grant actual or potential coercive power. -More couples are moving toward equal or, *egalitarian* relationships, research shows that american marriages are not fully yet equal.

How is stress related to iPV?

-Financial troubles; overload that is too much to deal with can lead to family violence(child abuse) -African americans & latinos living in disorganized communities encounter more social stressed. -Changing lifestyles & standards of living, children's misbehavior & a parent's feeling pressure to do a good job, being perplexed on how to do it -Poverty & economic stressors, neighborhoods with drug offense arrest, bars & liquor stores & higher rates of violence. -Substance abuse(heavy alc use, binge drinking)- result in impulsivity, putting other people down. Inability to regulate emotions -Depression & other mental disorder//mate value//individuals may choose to be attracted to a partner who has risk factors for IPV

What are some trends in the IPV?

-It has declined over the past several decades, the incidence of child maltreatment has also declined. -Efforts to combat family violence are paying off. -Overall rate of nonfatal IPV declined by 70% from 1994 and 2011. From 10.3 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older to 3.1 per 1,000. -It is declined for women & men. -Family violence makes up about 11% of all violence & 1/3rd of all police-recorded violence. -Over 600,00 victimizations by intimate partners in 2014 -1/3rd were rapes, sexual assaults, aggravated assaults, & crimes involving serious injuries or weapons. -Other 2/3rds were lesser offenses, mostly simple assaults.

What does relationship power involve?

-Objective measures of power-who makes more, or more important, decisions, or who does more housework -Subjective measures of fairness- whether each partner feels their arraignment is fair or equitable. -*Equity*; whether the rewards of the relationship feel subjectively proportional to each partner's contributions, which may not necessarily be equal. -Partners' subjective perceptions of fairness influence relationship satisfaction & commitment. -less depressed, happier, more satisfied when ppl are equal partners.

What are egalitarian unions?

-Partners share equally in: decision making, division of household labor, housework, money allocation, ability to raise relationship issues. -They are the most sought by after U.S. couples. -Economically-dependent spouses as dual-earner couples in which each spouse earns between 40-59% families income. Spouses are equally dependent on one another. -ppl are working out the gender issues first confronted, equality norms are becoming very strong.

Why are some reasons that victims continue to live with it?

-Phase 2, makes it hard for victim to distinguish a partners genuine change from manipulative conduct. -*Fear*: reporting it will risk contact with CPS & removal of kids. Fear discrimination, immigrants are scared they will be treated insensitively, she has no where to go, stigma associated with it=neg consequences for career/rep. -*Cultural norms*; women encouraged to put up with abuse. a women responsibility to keep a marriage intact. Convinced their emotional support may lead husbands to reform -*Economic hardship*; uncertainty & financial troubles, loss of husbands income, men restrict women's access to financial resources -*Low self-esteem*: depression, confusion, anxiety, self-blame, loss of personal control(battered-can not see way out)

What are risk factors for IPV?

-They tend to be young adults. The rate of violence between cohabiting partners is higher than married -Cohabitors are younger, less integrated into family & community, more likely to psycho-behavioral problems such as depression & alc abuse(all associated with family violence) -Less institutional control over cohabiting relationships than marriage. More violent married couples get divorce, less-violent cohabiting couples get married. -Experiencing ro witnessing domestic abuse growing up -more likely to abuse their own kids & spouses, 30% go on to do that, -much higher than general population avg of 2-4%. the most typical outcome is to be nonviolent, this is case for both men & women.

What are trends in abuse?

-Total abuse has declined about 30% between 1993-2007 -emotional abuse and neglect rates have doubled to over 1 million cases per year -about 1500 kids die each year from childhood abuse -80% of deaths are kids younger than 4 -79% of cases are neglect, 18% physical abuse, 9% sexual abuse, 8% emotional/verbal/psychological abuse, 2% other forms

What were some demographic differences?

-Victimizations rates were high for Native American Women(11.1 per 1,000) -Black women were 5.0% -Non-hispanic white & hispanic females had moderate rates of 4.0 & 4.3. -Asians had a very low IPV -white, black, hispanic males were low, Native american men are high -Interracial couples have a similar rate to black couples & higher than that of white people

What are some gender differences in terms of division of household labor?

-Women whose husbands work more hours than they are do are apt to see the division of household labor as fair, so are women who espouse more traditional gender roles -Women still continue to do more housework than men do=less conjugal power -Moms & dads work the same # of hours in paid work, housework & childcare. -dads spend an average of more hour per week during paid work. -lesiure for women is childcare & household management. -In 2011, men spent more time in paid work, less time in childcare & housework. -Division of labor does not facility a woman to maximize her potential, bc she deals with housework & kids.

What is child sexual abuse?

-a child is forced, tricked or coerced by an older person into sexual behavior -exposure, unwanted kissing, fondling of sexual organs, intercourse, rape, incest, prositution, porongraphy for sexual gratification or financial gain. -excludes mutually desired sex play between or among siblings close in age, but coerced sex by stronger or older siblings is sexual abuse & more widespread than parent-child incest/incest is harder to detect.

How extensive is child maltreatment?

-abused kids live in families of all SES levels, races, nationalities, religious groups -More frequent among poor & nonwhite families than among middle-upper class white families -children in low SES experienced some type of maltreatment are five times the rate of other kids, 3x more likely to be abused, 7x more likely to be neglected -due to insufficient income, poor kids more likely to be seen by social welfare authorities, unconscious race or class based discrimination on part of medical personnel. -male & female are not different, youngest kids are more vulnerbale than older kids -54% of perps are women, 80% maltreated by one parent.

What is intimate terrosim?

-also known as coercive controlling violence, refers to abuse that is oriented to controlling one's partner through fear & intimidation -almost entirely done by males -intended to establish an overall pattern of domaine & occurs more often in marriage -likely to escape into more advanced stages. -produce serious injury -Explained by feminist theory( -a way to establish & maintain power.

What is the money allocation systems?

-arrangements couples make for handling their income, wealth, expenditures. Pooling partners resources or keeping them separate. -generally men have been the breadwinners who doled out a housekeeping allowance to his homemaker wife. -the allowance was skimpy while the husband was privileged to take money for personal spending & recreation. -Before second-wave feminism breadwinning husbands had complete control of money was viewed as inappropriate. -non-earning women typically felt uncomfortable making decisions about "his"earnings. The joint money earned was in an account under both names,

What is referent power? What is legitimate power?

-based on a person's emotional identification with the partner. -Attends a social function when they wouldn't want to because their loved one wanted to go. -Can enhance a couples commitment, in happy couple it increases as partners grow older together. -*Legitimate*: stems from the dominant individuals ability to claim authority, or the right to request compliance. -acceptance that the husband is the head of the family.

What is coercive power? What is reward power?

-based on the dominant person's ability & willingness to punish the partner with psychological emotional abuse or physical violence or more subtly, by withholding favors of affection. -EX: slapping a mate, spanking a child, refusing to talk to someone(silent treatment) -*Reward*: individuals ability to give material or nonmaterial gifts & favors, ranging from emotional support(eye contact, a smile, gentle hand on shoulder, listening,-attention to financial support or recreational travel. One that is dependent is less powerful.

What is sexual/reproductive control?

-between 10%-14% of women experience marital rape -*Martial rape*: husband forcing a wife to submit to sexual contact that she does not or that she finds a offensive -pregnancy increased the likelihood of male to female IPV. there was no increased risk of being abused with pregnancy. Partners jealousy when baby comes. -*Reproductive coercion*: behavior related to reproductive health that is used to maintain power & control in a relationship(refuse to practice safe sex, sabotage contraception, expose to a STI) -unsure of whether IPV is greater or less prevalent among U.S. immigrants than native born. -*Violence against women*: allows immigrant to file for alga status if victimized by domestic violence

What are net-traditional unions//Gender-modified egalitarian unions?

-favors a traditional division of labor & male family leadership -gendered division of labor, formal male dominance in decision making, and an egalitarian spirit -power can be negotiated & softened compared to traditional perspectives -*Gender*: abouslte equality is diminished by the symbolic importance of maintaining fairly traditional, comfortable & familiar gender roles. -Spouses work together to construct appropriate gender identities & maintain viable marriages

What are the gender differences in decision making?

-in 2000, respondents were more likely to report equal-decision making. Even in traditional families women had more power. -Co-paretning & joint decision making are more common in evangelical homes than in secular or mainline religious households. -women who earn more say that the gender structure exerts an influence that is independent of breadwinning ore relative financial contributions. -Males had more authority even when they had fewer resources, just as women income does not give them dominion in decision making. -Women can gain power from greater knowledge of the household. Use informational power to shape decisions about purchases.

What are some gender differences in terms of ability to influence each other?

-in supportive & satisfying relationships, each partner feels confident that he or she can be heard, even when raising uncomfortable issues. -Partners air concerns without fear of being dismissed or otherwise treated badly. -When husbands yield more power, the mens power may not be visible, they suppress or ignore issues raised by partners -Partner with less power(usually wife) spends more time aligning emotions with the spouse expectations. -wife yields power by means of referent power-her husbands love for her. Should respond favorably to their wives. Men engaged in emotion work.

What is emotional abuse?

-includes frequent verbal threats & routine comments that damage a partner's self-esteem -Verbal abuse such as name-calling & demeaning verbal attacks; threats(to take away victims children, harm a victims family or friends, attacks on pets -constant critics, isolating the victim, intimidation, causing partners sleep deprivation, withholding money) -Cyberstalking to get their location. -typically accompanies physical violence or threats of violence.

What is emotional neglect?What is child abuse?

-involves a parent's guardian's often being overly harsh & critical, failing to provide guidance, or being uninterested in a child's needs. -Educational neglect: failure to see that a school-age kid gets to school regularly -medical neglect: failure to obtain necessary medical care for a child -*Child Abuse*: overt acts of aggression-excessive verbal derogation(emotional child abuse) or physical abuse(beating, whipping, punching, kicking, hitting)

What is the resource hypothesis?

-it is derived from social exchange theoretical perspective -the partner with more resources can exchange them for greater power in the relationship -Resources include earnings & education. -spouse who made higher earnings & educational attainment made more decisions. -wives power is greater when she had no kids & worked outside the home~ less financially dependent on husband. -wives relative income increases their say in important decisions.

What is situational couple violence?

-refers to the symmetrical(mutual, perpetrated by women as well as by men) violence between partners that occurs in conjunction with a specific argument, less serve in terms of injuries & not likely to escalate. -It is more common among young, cohabiting couples -Erupts during a fight & accompanied by heavy drinking. -Explained by family systems theory. -occurs less frequently

What is the concept of resources in cultural context?

-stresses that society-wide gender structures influence conjugal power, tempering the impact of relative individual resources -individual resources fully influence conjugal power only when there is no cultural norm for conjugal power -when traditional norms of male authority are strong, husbands will dominate regardless of partners resources -if egalitarian norms were accepted, partners would share regardless of resources. -only in societies where neither patriarchal nor egalitarian norms are firmly entrenched is power negotiated by couples.

What is power?What is personal power? what is social power?

-the ability to exercise one's will. -Power exercised over oneself is *personal power*, or autonomy. Having a degree of personal power is important to self-development -*Social power* is the ability to exercise one's will over others. May be exerted in different realms, including within relationship. -Parental power operates between parents & children.

What is child neglect?

-the most common form of child maltreatment -Involves failing to provide adequate physical or emotional care -grounded in parents or guardians economic problems, mental health issues, lack of parenting skills, personal histories of child neglect -*Willful neglect*: purposeful failure to provide care even when resources are available: malnurtions, lack of immunization, lack of proper clothing, not going to school, no medical attention

What is intimate partner violence?

-the physical or emotional abuse of spouses of either gender, cohabiting, or non-cohabiting heterosexual or same-sex relationship partners or former spouses or intimate partners -physical violence was used to gain or demonstrate power in the family, but only in the last 50 years has it been labeled a social problem. -childhood abused was only distinguished as a problem in the 1960s

What is child maltreatment?

-the physical or mental injury, sexual abuse, or negligent treatment of a child under the age of 18 by a person who is responsible for the child's welfare under circumstances that indicate that the child's health or welfare is harmed or threatened. -nearly 3 million children//about 1 in 25 experience maltreatment annually. -78% neglect, 18% physical abuse, 9% sexual abuse, 8% psychological mistreatment, 2% other forms. -Covers both abuse & neglect, practices that were accepted in the past are abusive now.

What are some risk factors for child abuse?

-view kids as requiring physical punishment in order to develop properly -unrealistic expectations about what a child is capable of & being unknowledgeable regarding kids physical & emotional abilities & needs. -feeling stressed or helpless in the parent or provider role -being a young adults & inexperienced -Maritial discord or divorce -abusing alc or other substance//mom cohabiting with a male child more likely to do than real dad -Having a step father.

What are men more likely to spend their money on compared to women?

-with wives now earning income, separate financial accounts & control began to be seen as a favored alternative, with equal spouse making equitable contributions -it worked against them in terms of establishing & maintaining feelings of togetherness -men are more likely to spend money on personal things without consulting their partners and women spend money on household & children's needs. -men have a veto power over major decisions.