Male victims of intimate partner violence: challenges to current theory and practice

This chapter considers how the international prevalence and severity of male victimisation in intimate relationships challenges a gender-essentialist theory of IPV that understands the social problem as one of men’s violence toward women. Although this theoretical approach has shaped IPV policy and practice across the world, we argue that it has negatively impacted men, hindering men’s and societies’ ability to comprehend and respond to male victimisation. We conclude there is a need to adopt a gender-inclusive conceptualisation that can recognise the wide array of people who experience IPV and that can guide prevention initiatives and help-seeking for men and people across all demographics.