Gender and the Acceptance of Retaliatory Violence Among Acquaintance, Dating, and Marital Relationships

Those who contemplate retaliatory violence against female intimate partners face two conflicting social norms: chivalry norms that discourage violence against women and social norms that may excuse or even support hitting back when one is victimized. Using a sample of 400 undergraduates, this study examines the degree to which norms discouraging violence against women extend to retaliatory acts of violence and whether normative protection of women varies across type of relationship. Findings indicate that relationship status affects men’s approval of retaliation by women but not their approval of retaliation by men. In contrast, relationship status affects women’s approval of retaliation by men but not their approval of retaliation by women. These findings are consistent with the idea that both men and women subscribe to chivalry norms that inhibit male aggression toward women. Norms that discourage retaliation against women are not limited to wives. Both men and women are more supportive of women’s retaliation against men than men’s retaliation against women. Men are particularly likely to endorse retaliation by wives against their husbands.