Violence Against Women in Canada: Research and Policy Perspectives (Themes in Canadian Sociology)

by Johnson, Holly

• ISBN13: 9780195429817
• ISBN10: 0195429818
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2010-01-01
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Violence Against Women in Canada provides the first comprehensive overview of the issue of violence against women in its Canadian context, including underlying theoretical explanations, empirical research, and an examination of legal and social policy responses to the problem. It thoroughlyexamines what lessons can be drawn from the volumes of accumulated research and evaluation literature in Canada, and elsewhere, and provides a complete picture of how far Canada has come in our response to crimes of violence against women, where our investments have taken us, and where we areheading.Although the broad field of theoretical thought and research in this area is acknowledged, the authors approach the topic from a gendered sociological perspective. That is, they frame the issue as one that emerges from social structural forces and conditions that affect women and men differently dueto unequal access to power and resources. While gender is a key focus, they also recognize the powerful impact of the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality, and how these factors contribute further to inequalities among particular groups.

Author Biography

Holly Johnson is an associate professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa. Her primary research interests include sexual violence and intimate partner violence. Holly was principal investigator of Statistics Canada's first national survey on violence against women and is currently a coordinator of the International Violence Against Women Survey. Holly continues to be involved in many national and international networks aimed at preventing violence against women and improving criminal justice and societal responses to these crimes.
Myrna Dawson joined the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Guelph in 2003. Widely published, her broad research interests include trends in and characteristics of lethal and non-lethal violence, with a particular focus on intimate partner violence as well as social and legal responses to violent victimization in Canadian society. Most recently she has established the Social and Legal Responses to Violence in Canada Research Unit at the University of Guelph.