LAB: GENDER & PARTNER VIOLENCE IN WISEMAN
VIDEOS ON “DOMESTIC VIOLENCE”
SOME WAYS THIS LAB IS DIFFERENT
•Experience with a different research method: Observation and coding of
behavior as it goes on (compared to interviews and questionnaires)
•Provides information on prevention and treatment (compared to causes and
consequences)
•Analyzes multiple variables (compared to one independent and one
dependent variable)
OTHER METHODS
• Analysis of archived data sets
Census was the first. Now hundreds.
NVVS and NVAW as examples
Criminal justice system data sets
• Analysis of documents and public records
Court records such as divorce
Church records
Etc.
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WISEMAN DOCUMENTARY FILMS
PROBABLY AMERICA’S BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM PRODUCER
Famous For “Hospital”
Style is no-narration - everything is told through the behavior of the
people in the film. Nothing acted.
TWO VIDEOS
1. Describes the violence – shows what goes on among violent
couples
2. How the criminal justice system deals with partner violence
* WE WILL CODE ONE OF THESE VIDEOS TO SEE WHAT THEY SHOW
ABOUT GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PARTNER VIOLENCE AND HOW
THE POLICE TREAT MALE AND FEMALE OFFENDERS
* WHILE WATCHING THE VIDEO, YOU WILL RECORD THE
BEHAVIOR USING A CODING FORM. DURING THE LAB WE WILL
TALLY THE DATA TO GET THE RESULTS FOR YOUR LAB REPORT.
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GENDER DIFFERENCES
IN PARTNER VIOLENCE
FEMINISTS IN THE SHELTER MOVEMENT BELIEVE:
* Men are 90+% of perpetrators
* The criminal justice system ignores the plight of women
victims
* Recent mandatory arrest policies have been used to punish
and retaliate against women by arresting them when
they are the victims
MEN’S RIGHTS AND FATHER’S RIGHTS GROUPS BELIEVE
* Women perpetrate half or more of domestic assaults
* The recent reforms in the criminal justice system have created
an illegal presumption that men are the perpetrators
* Violence by women is ignored or excused.
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BOTH FEMINISTS AND MASCULINISTS
STRETCH THE TRUTH
FEMINISTS
* Ignore or suppress the overwhelming evidence of equal
assault rates
* Make the same excuses for violent women that men make
or their violence
* Focus on dramatic and heart rendering, but atypical
examples. (Although the examples may not be
typical, they are important.)
MASCULINISTS
Do the same things
BOTH MEN AND WOMEN OFTEN LIE TO THE POLICE AND
COURTS
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WE WILL ANALYZE THE WISEMAN VIDEOS
TO GET ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING
• Is the percent of men and women who are arrested, convicted,
fined, etc different?
• What percent of men and women lie to police and the courts?
• Who hit first, the male or female partner?
• Did either partner act in self defense (no way of leaving)?
• Who carried out physical assaults?
Male-Only, Female Only, Both Violent?
METHOD
• Formulate hypotheses
• Watch the video and record characteristics of the cases
Observing social behavior as a research method
• During the lab period:
Compute percentages for men and women
Write a lab report presenting and discussing the results
Class discussion of the results that each of you found
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VARIABLES TO RECORD
(ONE ROW FOR EACH COUPLE OR CASE)
1.
Couple number
2. Name of victim or offender– First, last, or both. If you missed it (as will
happen), put ?. There must be a line for every case, even if it has only ?
3. Actions against male partner. Code as many as apply
A=Arrested C=Charged V=Convicted F=Fined J=Jailed
N=None. No official police action, case dismissed
4. Actions against female partner – use the same code as above
5. Lie to the police or court. In your opinion, did either partner lie?
M=Male partner only, F=Female partner only, B=Both lied N=Neither
6. Initiation of violence. In the incident that led to the police call, who hit
first?
M=Male partner, F=Female partner, N=Can’t tell
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THE DATA TO RECORD (continued)
6. Self-Defense. Did either partner act only in self-defense? (“Hitting
back” or retaliation is not self-defense if it is possible to leave)
M=Male partner, F=Female partner, N=Neither or can’t figure out
7. Perpetrator. As best you can judge, who was violent :
M=Male partner only, F=Female partner only, B=Both violent
*AFTER THE VIDEO IS DONE, ALSO WRITE AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF
THE BEHAVIORS
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LAB REPORT
Write five hypotheses, one for each of the below questions.
What is the relationship between: (REARANGE ORDER)
1. gender and actions taken by the police or court
2. gender and lying to the court
3. gender and initiation of violence
4. gender and self-defense
5. gender and perpetration
One approach is to start each hypothesis with "Mean are….." or
"Women are….."
The video (5 court cases from part 2 shown in 03)
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EXAMPLE
AFTER THE VIDEO IS OVER
Write on the back of the Data Recording sheet an example from
one of the cases of one of the following:
If your birthday is an odd numbered day:
Lying to the police or court
If your birthday is an even numbered day:
Hitting back or retaliation that the person says or implies is justified
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THE PERCENTAGE WORKSHEET
Each couple is a case.
For each variable:
1. Find the corresponding column on the Coding Worksheet
2. Read down the column, counting the number arrested,
charged, male, female etc.
3. Put the correct number in the space next the #.
5. Then divide that number by the total number of cases to get
the percentage.
*For variables 2 and 3 the total will NOT sum to 100%, however, for
variables 4-7 the total will.
• PERCENTAGES TO USE FOR THE LAB
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VALUES TO USE TO COMPLETE THE LAB
SO THAT EVERYONE USES THE SAME DATA, WRITE LAB REPORT USING
THE FOLLOWING VALUES
Number of Cases Coded (use this as the denominator) = 5
2 and 3. Actions Taken by police or court
A=Arrested
C=Charged
V=Convicted
F=Fined
J=Jailed
P=Probation
N=None
2. MALES
# 4
% 80
# 4
% 80
# 2
% 40
# 2
% 40
# 0
%0
# 2
% 40
# 1
% 20
3. FEMALES
# 1
% 20
# 1
% 20
# 1
% 20
# 1
% 20
# 0
% 0
# 1
% 20
# 4
% 80
4. Opinions about whether either partner lied to the police or court:
M=Male partner only
F=Female partner only
B=Both lied
N = Neither lied
Total
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#
#
#
#
#
2
1
2
0
5
% 40
% 20
% 40
% 0
100%
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VALUES TO USE TO COMPLETE THE LAB
(continued)
5. Who hit first?
M=Male partner
F=Female partner
N = can’t tell
Total
#
#
#
#
3
2
0
5
% 60
% 40
% 0
% 100
6. Did either partner act only in self-defense?
M=Male partner
# 1
% 20
F=Female partner
# 0
% 0
N = neither or can’t tell
# 4
% 80
Total # 5
100%
7. As best you can judge, who was violent?
M=Male partner
# 1
% 20
F=Female partner
# 1
% 20
B=Both
# 3
% 60
Total # 5
% 100
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LAB REPORT CONTINUED
SAMPLE: Say where the data come from and how many cases are being
studied. How representative do you think the sample is of partner violence?
INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLES: For gender, you can skip the
how measured part. The dependent variables are the five variables you coded.
Write a phrase or short sentence to identify each of them. Then pick ONE of the
five and explain how it was measured.
DATA ANALYSIS: Compute all the percentages on the Percentage Worksheet.
RESULTS: Give the results for each hypothesis using the data from the
Percentage Worksheet,
but without using numbers. Say what the percentages
show about gender differences.
DISCUSSION: 1. In what way do your results support either the feminist, the
masculinist, or neither position about the variable in your hypothesis?
2. What are the implications for either “primary prevention” (steps so that violence
will not occur in the first place) OR for the criminal justice system efforts to stop
violence that is occurring.
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DISCUSSION
OBSERVATION AS A RESEARCH METHOD
WHAT DO THE VIDEOS SHOW ABOUT:(CHANGE THE
ORDER OF THESE VARS)
2-3 Police or judges actions in relation to men and women
4 Lying to the police or judge
5-6 Initiation of violence and self defense
7
Gender of offenders
IMPLICATIONS FOR:
* THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
* PREVENTION OF PARTNER VIOLENCE
• NO ONE WAS FINED OR JAILED. Is that a good policy?
• DIFFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE CASES AND
DOMESTIC MURDERS
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