Sir, - Tony Humphreys's articles in the EL supplement (October 2nd and 9th) about family dynamics contain many worthwhile insights. However, they would have been better and more representative of the reality of family life if they did not conform to flawed gender-specific stereotypes.
His article of October 9th is entitled "Fathers who reign through terror". We in Amen come into contact with many families where it is the mother who "reigns through terror". That women are just as likely as men to be violent in the home is no longer a matter of contention but of fact. The "man perpetrator/woman victim" paradigm is now obsolete.
At last this reality is being addressed by some of the more enlightened professionals in the field. This week alone we have been contacted by the social work department at Cork University Hospital for information as it is drawing up gender-neutral policies and guidelines on domestic violence. We have also been asked by the Garda human rights office to become involved in drawing up its rights policy. This clearly indicates that professionals working at the coal face recognise that perpetrators and victims of domestic violence are as likely to be female as male.
Current public policies and responses to conflict within families are inherently flawed and in many cases do more harm than good. This is due in part to the fact that they are based on stereotypes such as those perpetuated in Dr Humphreys's articles. In particular, dealing with domestic violence as an isolated issue outside of its relationship context is exacerbating conflict within families. Dr Humphreys could make a valuable contribution in rectifying this, but it cannot be done if we continue to deny the life experiences of a large section of society just because they are men. - Yours etc.,
Mary T. Cleary, Amen, Brew's Hill, Navan, Co Meath.