Why do men abuse their partners?
Men have grown up in a society where they have learned that they have a male privilege over women. Many have seen examples of men mistreating women without any consequences to the man. Behavior and information received from family, friends, the media and elsewhere supports men’s sense of entitlement. The physical abuse that men use is just one of many tactics used by men to maintain control over their partners. Abusers feel entitled to get their own way and therefore justified in using tactics of abuse. Isn’t much of the abuse caused by drugs and alcohol? This is a common myth and in fact part of the reason for the temperance movement was the belief that eliminating alcohol would stop men from assaulting their wives. In fact substance abuse is a separate problem from domestic violence. Many men with substance abuse problems never assault their partners. Sometimes men may drink to get the “courage” to assault their partners and in fact assaults are often more severe when committed by a
