(Untitled)

[fadingbluestar]

There are nearly three times as many animal shelters in the US as there are shelters for battered women and their children (Senate Judiciary Hearings, Violence Against Women Act, 1990)

Who ever said our culture treats women like dogs was wrong. We treat them much, much worse.

Comments

[twas_now]

The number of shelters doesn't necessarily indicate how women are treated. To follow this logic, we treat men even worse than women or animals since there are virtually no men's shelters. This is crazy, of course.

It's also pretty strange that they compare animal shelters to women's shelters. These are two entirely different institutions, with different purposes. Some of their functions overlap (e.g. safety), but they're not synonymous.

Women are mistreated, but this statistic doesn't tell us much. There are plenty of other painful statistics to rage about in this insane world.

[twas_now]

For example, this: "A Saudi judge has refused for a second time to annul a marriage between an 8-year-old girl and a 47-year-old man" ... "the girl could petition the court for a divorce once she reached puberty".

[fadingbluestar]

I think the amount of support and resources we dedicate to helping women leave abusive relationships is certainly indicative of how we treat women. Women frequently can't even call the police because of how ineffective their intervention is. As far as the prevalence of men's shelters - there are domestic violence shelters that accept men who are abused, though the need simply isn't as great when you look at the gender difference between men who are abused and women who are abused

[twas_now]

I commented because there isn't mention of the relative need for each type of shelter, like you say. Without that, there is no context. (Imagine the UK complaining because the Sudan gets more humanitarian aid than they do, even though its population is about 2/3 of the UK's.)

[twas_now]

This is just the mathie in me responding.

Go mathie, go!

[fadingbluestar]

You're right - there is no context. I suppose I posted this because I was reading the whole article of statistics, which put this statistic into context.

I appreciate the comment, actually. I get so few about these kinds of things (those that I would love to discuss).

Re: Go mathie, go!

[twas_now]

Well, the 8-year-old got the divorce. I think it's the same girl, although the husband seems to have aged 3 years in just a few weeks.

Re: Go mathie, go!

[fadingbluestar]

Odd. Thanks for the update, though.