Gimme Shelter: Battering and Poverty

The first couple pages of the article serve as a solid base of information. This includes women's personal stories as from a discussion group on the topic of domestic violence, as well as statistics from a multitude of studies from around the nation. Only after establishing this base of information do the authors go on to describe their argument (that economics and domestic abuse are inherently related), which proved to be very effective. The article criticizes the current welfare situation in our country, and also briefly offers some solutions towards the end of the article. The cycle of information, argument, and solution proved to work well here in this article. A few times it felt as if the same point were being made too many times, but as it directly contributed to the article's argument, this could not really be viewed as a negative aspect. Overall, the article was well backed-up and informative on the link between economics and domestic violence.   -

            Sparked by new welfare restrictions, this paper discusses the correlation between public assistance and women's ability to escape abusive relationships.   By incorporating shocking statistics, striking connections between women's decisions to leave abusive situations and economic variables, and personal accounts from affected women, James and Harris are able to prepare a thought-provoking article.   The authors point out numerous reasons why survivors of domestic violence are often so reliant on welfare, and combat beliefs of those who place the blame on these women for their circumstances.   James and Harris illustrate the economic dependence of women on their abusive male partners by utilizing reliable sources such as the National Criminal Justice Reference Service and The Journal of Marriage and Family .   The authors claim that this reliance can most effectively be overcome through public assistance.

Certain statements made by James and Harris are largely rooted in opinion, therefore their credibility is weakened.   For example, they conclude the paper with a suggestion that male politicians may avoid helping women in financial need because they are threatened by the possibility of women, including their own wives, having the means and courage to leave abusive relationships.   Although they make some bold accusations, this article forces you to seriously contemplate all sides of this issue.   -A.D.