Why Does Gender Violence Occur In The Couple? 3 Theories About It

There are many theoretical models that have attempted to explain the origin and/or maintenance of violence against women in an intimate relationship

Next, we are going to review some of the models that try to explain gender violence in terms of its origin or etiology. That is, we are going to try to answer the question of why it happens or what causes it.

Theories about the causes of gender violence in the couple

In addition to the theories that we will see here, there are others that help us understand other aspects of gender violence, such as those that focus on emotional dependence, or models that explain why the woman continues in the relationship. However, in this article we will focus on three theories or models that try to explain the origin of this type of violence.

Theory of Intergenerational Transmission of Violence

This theory states that violence is a learned behavior, through direct experience and/or observation of other people’s behavior

From there, try to establish a relationship between a previous history of family violence and becoming a victim and/or aggressor in the future. According to this theory, Boys and girls learn from their caregivers that violence or aggression is an appropriate way to solve problems

Critics of this theory argue that this theory is insufficient to explain the phenomenon of violence against women because not all individuals who suffer abuse during childhood become abusers in adulthood.

The research results are contradictory, which probably shows that other factors come into play that are not contemplated in this theory.

Interactive Model of Domestic Violence

This model is based on the idea that gender violence is a problem caused by multiple factors of diverse nature The factors proposed by its authors are the following:

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Feminist Theory

Feminist theory proposes that many social norms are androcentric or exclusionary because the perspectives of women and other less powerful groups have historically been ignored or excluded from public spaces.

The feminist model questions male rights and privileges over women, as well as the traditional idea that violence against women is a private family matter, defending the idea that the personal is political

Another dimension that feminist theory is responsible for studying is the conflict of gender roles. This dimension explores the influence of normative behaviors associated with gender. Gender role conflict is the phenomenon that occurs when rigid, sexist, or restrictive gender roles, learned during socialization, result in the restriction, devaluation, or violation of oneself or others.

Feminist theory clarifies the influence of gender factors and the balance of power in abusive relationships However, it alone cannot explain the mechanisms through which gender contributes to the structure and functioning of violent relationships.

In conclusion…

As is evident throughout the article, several authors have tried to explain the origin of violence in the couple through various theoretical models. Although all the proposed models have scientific evidence of their validity, They are not capable of explaining all the aspects of gender violence on their own

This is probably because gender violence is a complex phenomenon, the origin of which involves personal, social and cultural factors. For this reason, It is necessary to combine the different proposed theories since these are not mutually exclusive, but complement each other to try to explain this multicausal phenomenon.