The Concept and Measurement of Violence Against Women and Men

Description

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. The extent of violence against women is currently hidden. How should violence be measured? How should research and new ways of thinking about violence improve its measurement? Could improved measurement change policy? The book is a guide to how the measurement of violence can be best achieved. It shows how to make femicide, rape, domestic violence, and FGM visible in official statistics. It offers practical guidance on definitions, indicators and coordination mechanisms. It reflects on theoretical debates on 'what is gender', 'what is violence', and 'the concept of coercive control'. and introduces the concept of 'gender saturated context'. Analysing the socially constructed nature of statistics and the links between knowledge and power, it sets new standards and guidelines to influence the measurement of violence in the coming decades.

Sylvia Walby is Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Lancaster University and UNESCO Chair of Gender Research and Director Violence & Society UNESCO Centre. Jude Towers is Doctor of Applied Social Statistics, Senior Research Associate at Lancaster University and Associate Director Violence & Society UNESCO Centre. Brian Francis is Professor of Social Statistics at Lancaster University and Associate Director Violence & Society UNESCO Centre. Susie Balderston is Doctor of Applied Social Science, Senior Research Associate at Lancaster University and Lecturer in Social Policy at Salford University. Consuelo Corradi is Professor of Sociology and Vice-Rector at Lumsa University and Vice-Chair of the EU COST Action on Femicide. Markku Heiskanen is Doctor of Sociology and Senior Researcher at the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (HEUNI). Karin Helweg-Larsen is Emeritus Professor of Social Medicine at University of Copenhagen and member Danish Observatory on Violence against Women. Liz Kelly is Professor of Sexualised Violence at London Metropolitan University and Director of the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit. Lut Mergaert is Doctor of Management Sciences and Partner and Research Director at Yellow Window. Philippa Olive is Doctor of Sociology, Senior Research Fellow in Health Services Research at the University of Central Lancashire. Emma Palmer is Lecturer in Social Work at Lancaster University and UK registered social worker. Heidi Stoeckl is DPhil Evidence-based Social Intervention and Lecturer in Global Health and Development at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Sofia Strid is Associate Professor of Gender Studies at OErebro University and Co-Director GEXcel International Collegium for Advanced Transdisciplinary Gender Studies.

"This short but powerful book will be a game changer for all those claiming a role in making sense of and responding to gendered violence(s). Its message is clear and unequivocal. Unless all these stakeholders work towards sharing a commonly understood and co-ordinated measurement framework for the nature and extent of such violence(s), the chances of moving forward on this issue are slim. It is time to heed this message." Sandra Walklate, Liverpool University and Monash University, Australia. "Accurate measurement of gender-based violence is necessary to advocate for changes in policies that will make a real difference in the lives of women and girls." Lisa Gormley, London School of Economics & Political Science "Shows why there needs to be a gender approach to data gathering and a really important contribution to understanding what needs to be done to improve it." Hilary Fisher, Women's Aid "Original, highly topical and timely. Now is the moment for policy makers and commissioners of research to heed its messages so that its full nature can be addressed." Ruth Lewis, University of Northumbria "A compelling case for revising the way in which data on interpersonal violence is collected. Without an accurate picture of the frequency, severity and, crucially, gendering of physical violence, policy makers and practitioners cannot hope to implement effective interventions to reduce the suffering of those subject to abuse from intimate partners and family members" Andy Myhill, College of Policing. "An ambitious, theoretical, and practical conceptualization of a new framework for the measurement of violence against women and men." Donna Hughes, University of Rhode Island "This book comes at a critical moment in the history of advocacy and policy making on violence against women." Holly Johnson, University of Ottawa