Many readers are familiar with the Duluth Wheel, a visual representation of the feminist view that domestic violence is perpetrated almost exclusively by men and is a function of the patriarchy and men's alleged patriarchal privileges. To see the Duluth Wheel, click here.

For three decades, research has shown that this model is faulty, that women are at least as likely to attack their male partners as vice versa, and that a significant percentage of injuries in heterosexual domestic violence are sustained by men. Research shows that women use weapons and the element of surprise to help balance the domestic scales. To learn more, see my co-authored column October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month Ignores Many Victims (Louisville Courier-Journal & others, 10/4/06).

Recently an authority in the domestic violence field sent me and others this new Domestic Violence Wheel which "visually represents some of the obstacles that reform-minded individuals such as yourselves have had to encounter over the years."

[Note: If you or someone you love is being abused, the Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and Women provides crisis intervention and support services to victims of domestic violence and their families.] 

This entry was posted on Monday, October 29th, 2007 at 11:57 am and is filed under Feminism/NOW, Domestic Violence/DV System. You can trackback from your own site.