What has Gender got to do with it ? Exploring Physically Abusive Behaviour Towards Children

Correspondence to Brid Featherstone, Lecturer in Social Work, Department of Applied Social Studies, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP Summary This article explores the lack of impact that feminism has hadon analyses of physical abuse. It links this to the kinds offeminist theory which have been used to explore family violencegenerally. These have been based on fixed notions of men, womenand children. It argues for perspectives which are characterizedby an appreciation that gendered positions are neither fixednor inevitable, but, rather, subject to constant struggle andredefinition. It argues that the concept of power may not bethe most helpful concept to use when exploring emotional relationshipswhich are characterized by vulnerability and dependency, andthat the concept of domination may be more helpful. Finally,the paper draws on the work of Virginia Goldner and her associatesto posit the possibility of working on a number of levels, fromthe psychological to the material.