Protest, Policy, and the Problem of Violence Against Women

by Weldon, S. Laurel

• ISBN13: 9780822957744
• ISBN10: 0822957744
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-02-01
• Publisher: Univ of Pittsburgh Pr

Summary

Violence against women is one of the most insidious social ills facing the world today. Yet governmental response is inconsistent, ranging from dismissal to aggressive implementation of policies and programs to combat the problem. In her comparative study of thirty-six democratic governments, Laurel Weldon examines the root causes and consequences of the differences in public policy from Northern Europe to Latin America.She reveals that factors that often influence the development of social policies do not determine policies on violence against women. Neither economic level, religion, region, nor the number of women in government determine governmental responsiveness to this problem. Weldon demonstrates, for example, that Nordic governments take no more action to combat violence against women than Latin American governments, even though the Swedish welfare state is often considered a leader in social policy, particularly with regard to womenrs"s issues.Instead, the presence of independently organized, active womenrs"s movements plays a greater role in placing violence against women on the public agenda. The breadth and scope of governmental response is greatly enhanced by the presence of an office dedicated to promoting womenrs"s status.Weldon closes with practical lessons and insights to improve government action on violence against women and other important issues of social justice and democracy.

Author Biography

S. Laurel Weldon is an assistant professor of political science at Purdue University.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures	ix
Preface	xi
Introduction: From Protest to Policy	1	(28)
Culture, Development, Parties, and Policies on Violence Against Women	29	(32)
Social Movements and Policies to Address Violence Against Women	61	(26)
The Effect of Women in Government on Policies on Violence Against Women	87	(18)
Sexing the State: The Impact of Political Institutions on Policies on Violence Against Women	105	(33)
Social Movements, Political Institutions, and Public Policies on Violence Against Women	138	(27)
Social Structures and Public Policy	165	(29)
Responding to Violence Against Women: Practical Lessons for Democrats, Feminists, and Policymakers	194	(17)
Appendix A: Compilation of Studies and Reports of Violence Against Women in Stable Democracies	211	(7)
Appendix B: Notes on Method and Measurement	218	(9)
Appendix C: List of Sources by Country	227	(8)
Notes	235	(8)
References	243	(36)
Index	279