Battered woman and public opinion: Some realities about the myths

Reputation and behavior of battered women who kill their partners: Do these variables negate self-defense?

“…Because Ewing and Aubrey (1987) found that 45% of a sample of the general public believed that women who remained in battered relationships were probably emotionally disturbed, it is possible that the "dysfunctional wife" was considered less in control of her actions and, therefore, more likely to be exempted from blame for her behavior. Also, it is possible that the "dysfunctional" battered woman might have been viewed as becoming dysfunctional due to the suffering she had endured at the hands of the battering man.…”

The Influence of Gender Role Stereotypes, the Woman's Race, and Level of Provocation and Resistance on Domestic Violence Culpability Attributions

“…There is a dearth of research, however, on culpability assignment with provocation in domestic violence, although such assignment has important ramifications for arrest and prosecution. Ewing and Aubrey (1987) reported that almost 40% of a community sample of respondents believed that women are partially responsible for their abuse. Cook, Fisher, and Shirkey (1991) found that over 30% of a community sample of respondents believed that a wife's yelling is never acceptable behavior, and over 60% believed that it is never acceptable for her to slam a door on her husband.…”

“…Research on domestic violence culpability decisions provides insight into cultural biases concerning domestic violence actors and beliefs about the need for police and medical interventions (Avakame & Fyfe, 2001;Ferraro, 1989;Kurz, 1987), legal solutions (Ewing & Aubrey, 1987;Goldfarb, in press), and public policy (Fagan, 1996). Because it is assumed that legal attention to and restrictions on domestic violence modify the rates of such violence in society (Fagan, 1996;Harrison & Esqueda, 1999;Stewart & Maddren, 1997), the importance of understanding culpability decision making is an issue of some magnitude.…”

Jurors' Decisions in Trials of Battered Women Who Kill: The Role of Prior Beliefs and Expert Testimony1

“…A number of recent surveys have found that on some dimensions of wife abuse the public's views are at variance with the conclusions drawn by experts in the field (Aubrey & Ewing, 1989;Dodge & Greene, 199 1 ;Ewing & Aubrey, 1987;Gentemann, 1984;Greene, Raitz, & Lindblad, 1989;Kromsky & Cutler, 1989;Saunders, Lynch, Grayson, & Linz, 1987). For instance, Dodge and Greene (1991) conducted a survey in which they compared the opinions of a sample of laypersons to those of experts in the field of abuse.…”