Table Of ContentYoung PeoPle’s understandings
of Men’s Violence against WoMen
For my children
Young People’s
Understandings of Men’s
Violence Against Women
nancY loMbard
Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
© nancy lombard 2015
all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
nancy lombard has asserted her right under the copyright, designs and Patents act, 1988, to be
identified as the author of this work.
Published by
ashgate Publishing limited ashgate Publishing company
Wey court east 110 cherry street
union road suite 3-1
farnham burlington, Vt 05401-3818
surrey, gu9 7Pt usa
england
www.ashgate.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
lombard, nancy, 1977–
Young people’s understandings of men’s violence against women / by nancy lombard.
pages cm
includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4724-1991-0 (hardback)—ISBN 978-1-4724-1992-7 (ebook)—ISBN 978-1-4724-
1993-4 (epub) 1. Women—Violence against. 2. Violence in men. I. Title.
HV6250.4.W65l66 2015
362.82’92—dc23
2014042386
ISBN 9781472419910 (hbk)
ISBN 9781472419927 (ebk – PDF)
ISBN 9781472419934 (ebk – ePUB)
Printed in the united Kingdom by Henry ling limited,
at the dorset Press, dorchester, dt1 1Hd
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
1 Violence 1
2 Childhood 17
3 Research Methodology 33
4 Gender Constructions 67
5 ‘Real’ Violence by ‘Real’ Men: Naturalising Masculinity 97
6 Processes of Normalisation: Distancing ‘Unreal’ and
‘Proximate’ Violence 121
7 Heterosexuality, Gender and Adulthood: Justifications
of Violence 147
8 A Change is Gonna Come? 177
Bibliography 191
Index 213
This page has been left blank intentionally
Acknowledgements
Writing these acknowledgements is something I have really been looking
forward to. It confirms that the process is (almost) over and provides an
opportunity to reflect upon the journey and all those that have helped me
along the way. This book arises from my doctoral thesis and the many talks and
discussions I have given about the findings. Firstly, I would like to thank all the
young people who took part in this research. Without their input, enthusiasm
and time this book would not have been possible.
I would like to say a big thank you to Linda McKie for giving me the original
‘life-changing’ opportunity of the PhD and for always believing that I could
do it. I am grateful to the many wonderful colleagues I have met since moving
back into academia who I now count as good friends, Dave Gadd, Liz Jagger,
John Stewart, Jeni Harden, Louise Dobbie, Rachel Russell, Alice MacLean, Lani
Russell, Angela O’Hagan, Susan Batchelor, Lesley McMillan, Sarah Morton,
Oona Brooks, Clare McFeely, Melanie McCarry, Andrew Paterson, Evan Stark
and Anne Flitcraft.
Nel Whiting deserves a special mention for her unrelenting enthusiasm when
mine was seriously waning and for providing that initial platform at Scottish
Women’s Aid to disseminate my findings. Thanks also to those who work in
the VAW sector (Lesley Orr, Ellie Hutchinson, Jenny Kemp, Laura Thomson,
Mhairi McGowan and Marsha Scott) for providing opportunities, training ideas
and inspiration. Also, to the women and children at North Kensington Women’s
Aid and Burnley Women’s Aid, your lives, determination and resilience inspired
me to try and make a difference.
Thanks also to my friends (in particular, Karen, Claire, Jim, Alison, Ali,
Christine and Gill) who have been my rocks over the years, providing shoulders,
laughter and fizzy wine. Thank you also to my Roy. His absolute conviction and
belief in me has meant more than he will ever know. There is a feminist saying
that behind every successful woman is a man who tried to stop her. Well behind
me is a good, loving, gentle and beautiful man who has supported me every step
of the way – he really is a star.
I would also like to say a big thank you to all my family who weren’t always
sure what it was that I was doing but knew it was taking a long time, Dad,
Dave, Jenny and the rest of you. Also, to my mum, for always looking after me,
encouraging my education, those countless phone calls and for helping me in
ways only my mum can. In part, much of my interest in this area arose because
Young PeoPle’s understAndings of Men’s Violence AgAinst WoMen
of the family my mum grew up in. A family which produced four very strong-
minded, inspiring women who each dealt with abuse in very different ways. So,
Grandma Mary, Aunty Frances, Aunty Pat and mum, this continues to be my
journey for you.
And finally, this book is for my children, for whom I continue in my quest to
change the world: Dylan, Milo, Autumn Mary and Baby Bombard.
viii
Chapter 1
Violence
Violence against women is not the result of random, individual acts of
misconduct, but rather is deeply rooted in structural relationships of inequality
between women and men.
United Nations 2006
This book examines how young(er) people, aged 11 and 12, define, construct
and understand violence, specifically men’s violence against women (incorporating
physical, emotional, sexual, psychological and economic abuses) and including
domestic violence and abuse. Men’s violence against women is both a socially
constructed and endorsed social problem. As such, the solutions to challenging
and preventing it lie within those same systems of constructed power and
gendered inequity. The research upon which this book is based enabled young
people to explore their own understandings of violence against women and in
doing so how this relates to their constructions of normative gendered roles.
Gender and violence pervade and shape young people’s social relations
and understandings very powerfully, already informing both their own
understandings and, at times, their own actions (McCarry 2010; Barter 2014;
Gadd 2014; Gadd et al. 2014). By using the broad term of men’s violence against
women, the gendered dynamics inherent within the concept of ‘violence’ are
made explicit. A short discussion of domestic violence and abuse is undertaken
in this introductory chapter to explain why it was necessary to include the terms
within the research, whilst also highlighting the need to broaden the scope to
include all forms of violence against women.
Purpose of the Book
There are two aims of this book. The first is to confront and challenge the
‘everyday’ occurrence and acceptability of the social problem of men’s violence
against women (Stanko 1985). It is an issue that impacts upon everyone, not
only the lives of adults or those who are judged old enough to talk about it. As
young people have generally not been given the power to define violence, here
they are afforded the ability to ‘name’ violence (Kelly 1988) as they understand
it. Enabling young people to engage with the discursive issues of men’s violence
against women and explore their own perceptions can be one way to look
beyond the ‘public’ or powerful appropriation of the concept. Part of their
