VAW affects us all : Comments

By Julie McKay, published 5/9/2011

Violence against women 'VAW' will cost $15.6 billion in 2021-22.

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And there you have it "Previous comments on your article illustrate the underlying gender hatred that is the root cause of gender violence."

In a nutshell, anyone who disagrees is only doing so as a result of their gender hatred and reveals themselves for public castigation and demonization.

How simplistic ..

You could also derive from this, that anyone who accuses others of gender hatred, is a themselves displaying gender hatred.

Posted by Amicus, Monday, 5 September 2011 11:40:35 AM

Yes anna52, the statistics are shocking, and the challenges are huge.

But I think it's time for this debate to move on from the claim that "At the centre of such abuse is gender inequality, which creates a cycle of violence that becomes acceptable". This is a nice line, similar in vein to John Howard's "we decide who comes into this country, and the circumstances in which they come". Although technically correct, it is a gross oversimplification, and worded in such a way as to appeal to extremist elements who want to win the argument (I didn't know it was supposed to be a competition - where is the group advocating for VAW?) by dehumanising the "other side".

In order to make progress here I think it's important for us to conceed that we simply don't understand the causes of domestic violence. And here again, I am not disputing the conditions - the condition of male dominance or patriarchy clearly allows VAW to continue, but that doesn't mean it causes it. My best guess for what causes it is a feeling of disempowerment or inferiority of the perpetrators vis a vis their peers which, combined with a culture of silence (on both men's and women's parts), pathological personality types, and/or the disinhibiting effects of alcohol and an unexpressed feeling off having been the subject of injustice, coalesce to turn some men violent. But more evidence is required before we can say that for certain.

However instead of attributing male violence to patriarchy (which again, I don't dispute the existence of), I think we need to explore the notion that VAW is caused by individual men's weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Because until we do, then discourses are going to lead to the interpretation that men are somehow inherently prone to, or responsible for VAW, and immune to VAM - and in turn, people like anna52 are going to deign to think that she is seeing an example of "gender hatred" when men stand up and defend themselves (however disingenuously) against such one-eyed, cutting, xenophobic sleights.

Posted by Sam Jandwich, Monday, 5 September 2011 12:01:39 PM

Posted by Formersnag, Monday, 5 September 2011 12:18:35 PM

Nothing has any value unless it can be seen to be costing 'The Economy'. When will people stop these riduculous attempts to quantify the costs of everything.

I want to know how much burnt toast cost the economy last year!

Or Oprah Winfrey!

I want the full justification of all these figures and reports. I mean, What about if the woman goes to the doctor for some other aliment as well as a black eye, what % of the cost goes to the breakdown of domestic violence and what percent goes toward the abuse of antibiotics? Then I suppose the depression brought about the ill-health, but then what about the childhood trauma that also attributed to the depression. What % of the depression is attributable to that and how is it measured. What are the margins of error?

I reckon if you add up all the things that have cost the economy from all reports in 1 year it would equal 100000% of GDP.

I'm having a sickie tomorrow to celebrate!

Posted by Houellebecq, Monday, 5 September 2011 12:30:11 PM

'women are frequently targeted specifically because of their gender.'

They proved this by asking each perpertrator on each violent (Yes, Including economic) crime against women what their motives were.

Without exception, all said that they did it because they hated women.

In conclusion, there would be no violent crime against women at all with gender equality. Except for the women who hit women, but I suppose they are just self-loathing misogynists too.

BTW: The other day, I said to my partner that my pay is coming in after the weekend not before it, so don't spend up too big until I can pay the credit card off. I see the error of my ways now, and my economic violence in this case is due to my innate misogyny.

Posted by Houellebecq, Monday, 5 September 2011 12:42:27 PM

I'm not sure if 'VAW' will cost $15.6 billion but it might cost men:
-$15.6 billion to pay for women's many extra visits to the doctors each year
-$15.6 billion to pay for the 6 years women live longer than men
-$15.6 billion to pay for the extra sick days women take on average
-$15.6 billion to pay for the shorter working lives women enjoy
-$15.6 billion to make up for women's share of the tax burden while they are enjoying their shorter working lives with more breaks and sick leave
-$15.6 billion to subsidise women's higher rates of education which they then use less often, for a shorter working life and take more sick days and breaks.....

...I think a picture is starting to emerge.

And that's before we take into account the $15.6 billion men have to pay to keep women in jobs to argue men should pay more to women.

Posted by dane, Monday, 5 September 2011 2:05:37 PM

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