The Effect of Sex and Severity of Aggression on Formal and Informal Social Agents' Involvement in Partner Violence

Involvement by formal and informal social agents plays a major role in coping with the problem of partner violence. Based on data from the First National Israeli Survey of Family Violence, the present study attempted to answer whether the sex of the aggressor and the severity of his or her aggression affect formal and informal social involvement in partner violence. Data were obtained from a stratified probability sample of 2,544 women drawn from the general population in Israel. Findings show that the severity of aggression by both sexes affects informal social involvement similarly. But in regard to formal involvement, gender is of top importance, and only the severity of men's aggression influences formal social involvement. The findings indicate society's perceptions of partner violence and how it copes with the problem. These perceptions and their theoretical and practical implications are discussed. The discussion focuses on examining the factors that promote social construction of partner violence as identified in this study and the implications of this construction on dealing with the problem.