(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

[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.

They are two entirely different institutions, and they do have different purposes. The point of the statistic is to point out the gross under-funding for, and scarcity of domestic violence shelters. It could also be argued that the point of the statistic is to point out the prioritization difference. Perhaps, as I mentioned above, it's about sheer numbers in need. I don't know the numbers of strays compared to the number of abused women.

And as far as "There are plenty of other statistics to rage about" - I certainly agree with you, and I'll rage about them too. I don't see that just because I posted this one statistic it means that I'm not angry about the fact that a Saudi judge won't annul a marriage I find to be immoral. Why must we only rage about one injustice at a time?

I hope you didn't miss the point for the faults you found in the statistic. I had any number of them that I could have posted from an article I was reading for a class. My point was simply that I get furious at our society for the acquiescence toward domestic abuse (perpetrated by and on both men and women). And that I believe it's more than simple acquiescence - it's implicit tolerance.

[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.