There are ways to reduce domestic violence that have nothing to do with the patriarchy

Article here. Excerpt:

'The dominant explanation for domestic violence in Australia – repeated by the sector, politicians, police and others – relies on the feminist model, which sees it as a result of rigid gender norms and gender inequality.

That explanation is now barely scrutinised, but Hill outlines at least one alternative explanation – the psychopathology model, that insists that domestic violence is rooted in mental illness, substance abuse and childhood trauma and has little to do with patriarchy. “Unlike the feminist model – which asks, ‘Why do men beat their wives?’ – the psychopathology schools asks: ‘Why did this man beat his wife?’”

Hill reviews the evidence and says both models have their weaknesses (particularly the psychopathology explanation, although it is the dominant one in the United States). To raise the doubts shouldn’t be courageous, but in our era of rigid positions, it is. She asks for a “middle ground”, quoting Michael Salter, a criminologist specialising in men’s violence against women and children.

“We’ve moved into a neoliberal feminist analysis of violence, which assumes that perpetrators have no depth; that they are all just surfaces that are written upon by TV and pornography and culture,” he says. “The populist discourse on domestic violence has turned into a total shitshow. Those of us who appreciate a bit of complexity in our analysis have just stepped back to shut our mouths.”'