Tag: Abuse

Intimate Partner Violence and Patriarchy: Part I

Posted on by Shely Basnet, LCSW, LAC in therapy

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  1. Maintaining power and control is at the heart of intimate partner violence.
  2. Power and Control are exerted through various means: Financial, Psychological/Emotional, Verbal, Physical
  3. Examples: Threats, Insults, Destroying Property, Isolating the Partner, Blaming, Denying Abuse, Using the Children (if you have children), Not Letting You Access Money, Playing Mind Games, etc.
  4. How does this relate to patriarchy?
    1. In heterosexual relationships, cis-gender men typically assume the role of the decision-maker.
    2. The abusive partner delegates various tasks as masculine or feminine.
    3. The abusive partner requires permission, and/or refuses autonomy to women, children, and other folx.
    4. The abusive partner defines, assigns, and enforces “appropriate” gender roles. The abusive partner requires an adherence to a strict gender-binary and uses this to assert control.
    5. In heterosexual relationships, cis-gender men may treat women and children as property, and erase their sense of self.
  5. What are other examples of how patriarchy intersects with power and control?