How are domestic violence and gender related?

On Behalf of | Oct 5, 2020 | Violent Crimes |

It is a well-known fact that the majority of domestic violence victims of either gender never report abuse. It is also relatively common for an element of physical and emotional aggression to exist in the majority of American households, even at low levels.

The police arrest around 1 million persons every year in the United States for domestic violence charges. According to Across Walls, about 75% of persons the police arrest for domestic violence are men.

What happens after a domestic violence arrest?

It is common for a restraining order to follow an arrest for domestic violence. While there is an element of logic to the courts legally mandating separation between the alleged victim and the alleged perpetrator, this approach also has problems.

For instance, it is very easy to violate restraining orders on accident. It is possible for an alleged perpetrator of domestic violence to trigger the restraining order by simply texting the alleged victim. Thus, it is very easy for the police to arrest somebody for violating the restraining order. The people who fall afoul of this system are disproportionately male.

What about female perpetrators?

Only around 25% of arrests for domestic violence involve female perpetrators. It is notable that out of all restraining orders on file, males represent only 15% of filers. It is much less likely for the police to arrest a female perpetrator of domestic violence due to this comparative lack of restraining orders.

While the consequences of domestic violence charges are just as severe for women than for men, there is a great disparity in the amount of arrests. This results in the number of convictions for female perpetrators of domestic violence being very low.