Domestic Violence—Medieval and Modern

Women’s Perception and Attitude towards Male Dominancy and Controlling Behaviors

“…With women being literate, there will be a balanced relationship between men and women in their marital life and allow women to take part in decision making for family matters; resulting in fewer chances to be victimised by their husbands [17]. This is also supported by another study that non-autonomous women will be unable to take decisions outside home and even inside home in terms of their health and safety [21]. Despite the above mentioned conditions, there are male ideological perceptions that exist in the society of Pakistan leading to more challenges for women trying to gain their rights and autonomy [17].…”

The Clothesline Project

“…Since the beginning of civil society, domestic violence has been accepted through the belief that a husband has the right to physically discipline his wife in order to keep her pure (Fee, Brown, Lazarus, & Theerman, 2002). It is believed by some that the popular adage "rule of thumb" was derived from English common law which allowed a husband to beat his wife, as long as the object used is no bigger than the diameter of his thumb (Smith, 2000).…”