Gendered and Social Hierarchies in Problem Representation and Policy Processes: “Domestic Violence” in Finland and Scotland

Abstract

AcknowledgementsWe are grateful to Johanna Niemi and anonymous referees for comments on an earlier version of this article.

At the Interface of National and Transnational: The Development of Finnish Policies against Domestic Violence in Terms of Gender Equality

“…The main women's NGO, the League of Finnish Feminists, constructed the problem of DV in gendered terms, whereas the much older and more established child welfare organization, the Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters, defended the more traditional discourse of "family violence" [22,24]. In contrast to the feminist discourses that conceive DV as a consequence of gender inequality, the family violence discourse addresses the problem of DV in gender-neutral terms, ascribing it to communication problems or to alcohol-or mental health-related problems within the family [3,17].…”

“…However, a European Union (EU) wide survey [2] shows that Finland is the EU's second most violent country for women. Moreover, previous studies [3,4] show that Finland has been peculiarly reluctant to address this problem and the question of gender inequalities linked to it even in the face of increased outside pressure to do so.…”

“…Previous research on Finnish DV policies consists of peer-reviewed journal articles [3,[16][17][18][19] and books chapters [20,21], as well as PhD [22] and Master's theses [23,24], based on analyses of policy documents, various materials related to legal changes, expert interviews, parliamentary debates and participant observation. Most of this scholarly work compares the case of Finland to that of Britain [21,23], Scotland [3] and Russia [19], thereby providing a cross-cultural view of the development of DV policies in Finland. However, compared to the previous research, this article addresses the development of Finnish DV policies more comprehensively by exploring a longer time period and viewing DV policy development from the wider perspective of interaction between the national and transnational levels.…”

Constructions of ‘vulnerability’ in comparative perspective: Scottish protection policies and the trouble with ‘adults at risk’

“…Like any victim of crime, women subject to domestic abuse also have less than complete control over the responses to their situation of law enforcement agencies (ACPOS and COPFS, 2008). However, given that criminal prosecution plays a small part in securing the welfare of most women subject to domestic abuse (Cull, 2003;Hearn and McKie, 2010), routes to safety and recovery are still placed by policy largely in women's own control. In this, again, we see the assumption of a liberal subject, whose autonomy is best supported by non-intervention (Anderson and Honneth, 2009;Fineman, 2008).…”

“…In individual instances of domestic abuse, by contrast, policy assumes that affected women will find their own ways forward (Hearn and McKie, 2010). Professionals should facilitate women's access to the available supports and legal remedies (Cull, 2003;Guthrie, 2011), but should avoid 'assumptions or judgements about what they should do' (Scottish Executive, 2000, p.37).…”