Battered Woman's Reality

Abstract

This article looks at why expert testimony is necessary in Australian trials of women who have killed a violent partner. It also overviews some concerns about syndromizing women's experiences and suggests how battered woman's reality could be argued instead. Situational expertise can explain how the abused woman's act could be self‐defense since it often does not take place immediately in response to violence, why the battered woman did not leave, and her possible absence of remorse.