Page 397 - Sociology and You

Chapter 11 The Family 367
Tragically, violence has been a pattern of some family relationships throughout history.
Family Violence
Americans have traditionally denied the existence of widespread violence in the family setting. Violent behavior has in the past mistakenly been asso- ciated mostly with lower-class families. Part of the reason for this attitude was the fact that the first research in this area used law enforcement and public medical records. Because the police and hospitals dealt mostly with the lower classes (middle and upper classes had lawyers and private doctors), the statistics were skewed toward the lower class. We are learning that do- mestic violence occurs at all class levels.
Is violence in the family common? Although the family provides a safe and warm emotional haven, it can in some cases be a hostile environment. Family violence, or domestic violence, affects all members of the family— children, spouses, and older people. Celebrated trials during the 1990s brought increased public attention to the issue of domestic violence. For more than a year, media focus was centered on the trial of football superstar O. J. Simpson, accused of the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Evidence presented during the trial indicated that Simpson had abused her when they were married. In another high-profile case, the wealthy Menendez brothers were convicted of the murder of their parents. (Trial evi- dence indicated that the brothers had been abused as children.)
According to a national survey, almost one-quarter of adults in the United States report having been physically abused as children. In most cases, physi- cal violence involves a slap, a shove, or a severe spanking. However, kicking, biting, punching, beating, and threatening with a weapon are part of abusive violence as well. Furthermore, according to estimates, one of every four girls and one in ten boys are victims of sexual aggression, either within the home