Processes Explaining the Concealment and Distortion 5 of Evidence on Gender Symmetry in Partner Violence 6

13 Graham-Kevan’s paper fully documents overwhelming evidence that the “patriarchal 14 dominance” theory of partner violence (PV from here on) explains only a small part of PV. 15 Moreover, more such evidence is rapidly emerging. To take just one recent example, 16 analyses of data from 32 nations in the International Dating Violence Study (Straus 2006; 17 Straus and International Dating Violence Research Consortium 2004) found about equal 18 perpetration rates and a predominance of mutual violence in all 32 samples, including non19 Western nations. Moreover, data from that study also show that, within a couple 20 relationship, domination and control by women occur as often as by men and are as 21 strongly associated with perpetration of PV by women as by men (Straus 2006). Graham22 Kevan also documents the absence of evidence indicating that the patriarchal dominance 23 approach to prevention and treatment has been effective. In my opinion, it would be even 24 more appropriate to say that what success has been achieved in preventing and treating PV 25 has been achieved despite the handicaps imposed by focusing exclusively on eliminating 26 male-dominance and misogyny, important as that is as an end in itself. 27 Graham-Kevan’s paper raises the question of how an explanatory theory and treatment 28 modality could have persisted for 30 years and still persists, despite hundreds of studies 29 which provide evidence that PV has many causes, not just male-dominance. The answer is 30 that it emerged from a convergence of a number of different historical and social factors. 31 One of these is that gender symmetry in perpetration of partner violence is inconsistent with 32 male predominance in almost all other crimes, especially violent crimes. Another is the 33 greater injury rate suffered by female victims of PV brings female victimization to public 34 attention much more often. Although there are many causes of the persistence of the 35 patriarchal dominance focus, I believe that the predominant cause has been the efforts of 36 feminists to conceal, deny, and distort the evidence. Moreover, these efforts include Eur J Crim Policy Res DOI 10.1007/s10610-007-9060-5