Making "bad" and "mad" mothers: Domestically violent men's accounts of assaulting women as mothers

This paper examines the ways in which domestically violent men assault women as mothers and their mothering. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data gathered from in-depth interviews with 30 Australian men who had... [ view full abstract ]

This paper examines the ways in which domestically violent men assault women as mothers and their mothering. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data gathered from in-depth interviews with 30 Australian men who had perpetrated domestic violence, this paper reports their accounts of using this tactic. The study found that this tactic is a particularly pernicious form of gender-based oppression grounded in hegemonic representations of the "good mother". Assaults on women as mothers and their mothering is an under-recognized and under-theorized tactic deployed by domestically violent men to exert power and control over women and children. Raising awareness of private and public assaults on women as mothers and their mothering is a critical step towards countering oppressive constructions of women mothering through domestic violence. This would help women and children untangle mother blame and lead to child protection practices that help women and children stay "safe and together."