Social Problem - Domestic Abuse | Study

Running head: SOCIAL PROBLEM: DOMESTIC ABUSE
Social Problem: Domestic Abuse
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1SOCIAL PROBLEM: DOMESTIC ABUSE
How has “Domestic abuse” been socially constructed and what is being done to address
the problem?
Domestic abuse has been rampant all over the world and is a topic of severe concern
for governments all over the world. The idea and definitions of domestic abuse has changed
over time and this development has happened due to changing views of the society regarding
the concept of domestic abuse. The social construction of domestic abuse is a reflection of
power relationships (Barone and Leedom 2017). The age old belief and practice of
dominance of the powerful over the perceived weak has been manifested in domestic
violence, where the male, the physically powerful species dominates or exerts domination
over the seemingly weak species, the women to show their power over them.
The issues related to domestic violence has pervaded the society for a long time and
has caused numeral direct and indirect deaths. This phenomenon has been the cause for
depression and anxiety, deteriorating the overall health of the society. In United Kingdom,
one in six men and one in four women are abused domestically. The government of United
Kingdom has taken several measures for eradicating domestic abuse from the society and
help the people who have been affected. The government has created a Domestic Abuse
Strategy 2018-2023, where they have taken the pledge for raising awareness, creating
positive culture, educating Defence leaders to tackle incidents quickly, supporting justice
process and taking the opinions of the abused in creating further policies regarding domestic
abuse (Reid 2017). There are dedicated departments and government charity organizations as
well as NGOs that help the victims in finding legal and economic support.

2SOCIAL PROBLEM: DOMESTIC ABUSE
Outline the relevant social theories i.e. Social constructionism, Realism; and policy/s in
direct relation to Domestic abuse.
Social constructionism is based on the idea making sense of situations through the
knowledge gathered from social interactions. The social opinion and conception of domestic
abuse is largely a result of social constructionism (Andrews 2012). The way society looks at
men and women, the differences that it makes between them, the responsibilities it attributes
to them depending on gender, created the basis of domestic abuse. Changing social belief and
opinion has also led to changes in definition of violence and society now has become open
enough to accept that men can be abused in domestic households.
The idea of realism is based on presenting matters as they truly are, without adding
any artistic value or extra information to undercut the reality of it. This philosophy has led to
the present scenario and approach towards domestic violence where perpetrators of domestic
violence are punished for the crime that they commit. Earlier, many of the perpetrators went
scot free due to the social construction and dismissal of domestic violence as a crime. Later,
the society rejected the idea of male victims of domestic violence which led the number of
women perpetrators to increase (Entilli and Cipolletta 2017). Realism forces the society and
government to accept these matters and ensure that the criminals are punished according to
their crime.
The development policies related to domestic violence are now based on realism and
social construct. The philosophy of the laws are created from the social beliefs and the real
experiences of the victims where the severity of the punishment is based on the severity of
the crime.