Womens Studies My perspective on domestic violence has certainly been influenced by some of the information I have learned while taking this course. I was fortunate enough to grow up in surroundings in which I was never exposed to this phenomenon. As such, I was relatively ignorant about the many realities regarding what has been and continues to be one of the most prevalent social issues affecting women in this country. After having taken this course, I now understand that domestic violence is a reality for many women much more than most people are aware of, and that there are a number of systematic aspects of this phenomenon which greatly influences its propagation.

One of the most eminent factors related to domestic violence that I am now cognizant of is its rate of incidence. Because I had never experienced it nor personally knew anyone who had personally experienced domestic violence, I was largely unaware of how disturbingly common it is and that "On average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States" (CDC). Unfortunately, domestic violence is something that women are practically more likely to experience in their lives -- either directly or vicariously -- than they are to have no experience with it. Additionally, I used to simply think of domestic violence as taking the form of a middle-aged husband occasionally getting physical with his wife. I now understand that there are myriads forms of this phenomenon which include rape, murder,...

There are a number of reasons why most victims choose to remain silent, endure abuse, or to repeatedly return to men who have a habit of physically abusing them. Issues of self-esteem and general ignorance of alternative options can contribute to such behavior on the part of women (Bradshaw), in addition to the erroneous assumption that they themselves spurred such behavior and are the ones who are really to blame for another's violent actions. Additionally, the fact that Westernized culture is largely paternalistic plays a principle part in the acceptance of domestic violence on the part of many women.
However, what I learned the most about domestic violence related to this class is the fact that it is merely just one instance of continuance of the fact that in a paternalistic society, women are readily expected to give up most anything they have. Domestic violence was not even considered a social issue until the emergence of the 20th century because it was so commonplace. Women were generally regarded as property -- initially as that of their fathers, and then of their husbands. Therefore, the domestic violence against women was simply regarded…