Attitudes to Violence Against Women Attitudes and beliefs are central to domestic violence. They influence its prevalence and impact, and shape community responses and victims’ help-seeking behaviour. The most extensive national study on Australian attitudes to violence against women to date is the National Community Attitudes to Violence against Women Survey 2009. Comparison of the findings from this survey with data from an earlier study conducted for the Office of the Status of Women in 1995 reveals some positive changes in attitudes: - there is greater recognition of the range of behaviours which constitute domestic violence; - almost all people agree that domestic violence is a crime (98 per cent in 2009, up from 93 per cent in 1995); and, - most people (81 per cent) report that they are willing to intervene in domestic violence situations. Nevertheless, few people understand why women stay in violent relationships and a significant minority believe that domestic violence is excusable if due to perpetrators ‘getting so angry that they temporarily lose control’—18 per cent of the general community sample and 45 per cent of the respondents from selected culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (SCALD) sample. Further, 22 per cent of the general community sample and 59 per cent of the SCALD sample believed that domestic violence was excusable if the perpetrator ‘truly regrets’ what they have done.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Aug 2013 14:31:12 +0000
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