Gender, Violence and the Social Order

This is an exciting and innovative book which provides a thorough introduction to contemporary social theory by examining the way in which the widespread existence of violence against women is explained. A wide range of theories from liberalism to evolutionary psychology are considered culminating in the development of a distinctive feminist realist position. The theories discussed are tested against a large scale survey, the findings of which challenge many conventional wisdoms as to the patterning of violence in contemporary society.