Power and Male Violence

This chapter begins by considering some general points from theoretical analyses of power which are relevant to both explanations. Violence between males has also been viewed within a power framework, albeit one which involves a more limited view of power, one derived from the concept of dominance hierarchies in animals. Structural power - that which resides in the state and organizations - is an important basis for feminist explanations of male violence towards women. The chapter considers two very different types of power explanations for male violence: the structural explanation of violence towards women, and the interpersonal status explanation of inter-male violence. The concept of dominance was introduced to describe the behaviour of animals, and later transferred to observational and peer-rating studies of children, principally boys. When considering the evolutionary origins of men's structural power over women, we need also to consider the conflicting reproductive interests of males and females.