In interviewing I found that all four people found the statistics from the textbook alarmingly high. Perhaps the most shocking statistics of them all was that every two minutes a sexual assault occurs (555). Most people have no idea that these acts of violence against women are so common.
While interviewing the four people I could definitely see that there was varying ideas between the male and female responses and ideas about violence in general. The two women that I interviewed were very sympathetic to the issues. They seemed as if they could relate to the idea of violence against women or knew someone that had been a victim. The two women that were interviewed also never implicated that women could be the cause of the violence against them. They contributed the idea of violence to the fact that men feel they need to control situations and violence is an easy way to do this. One women interviewed said “men are on a power trip and are envious that women can so easily adapt to situations, they can be the homemaker and the bread winner. Violence is a way that they can keep power in check.” This power struggle that she mentioned can in fact being one of the reasons that men turn to violence against women and other men.
The two males that were interviewed were much less open to discussing violence against women, almost as though they thought they were being placed in this group of violent males. They were both sympathetic to the abuse that women encounter, however they both made it very clear that it was something that they had never been apart of. It was as though they thought because they were male they were automatically accused. I also felt that they guys did not relate to the situations, it was as if they knew it was going on but they shut it out.
Although there were very clear differences in why violence against women occurs, one common theme was how to try to fix it. All four people agreed that education is the best way. At a young age kids are easily molded and that is the best time to get across the ideas that need to change in order to decrease domestic violence.
I found these interviews to be an eye opener. I also did not know that the statistics for violence against women were so high and I found them quite surprising. However perhaps the most surprising difference that I found during these interviews is that there is definitely a difference in the opinions of men and women about violence.