Battered Women In A Streetcar Named Desire

Throughout centuries, countries, and cultures women have experienced a form of domestic abuse. Whether it be verbal or physical doesn't make one any less harmful, abhorrent, or excusable than the other. My inquisitiveness about domestic abuse branches from A Streetcar Named Desire, a playwright written by Tennessee Williams, which depicts the abusive relationship of that of Stella Kowalski and Stanley Kowalski's marriage. Although the playwright was published in 1947 and women didn't have equal rights to men during that time period, it doesn't change the fact that women in today's society are still treated less than equal to their dangerous and abusive partners. Women all around the world experience domestic abuse similar to that of Stella

"40% to 60% of battered women are abused during pregnancy and 8% of pregnant battered women experience obstetrical complications as a direct result of their abuse" (Jeffrey R. Baker, The Failure, and Promise of Common Law Equity in Domestic Abuse Cases). Pregnancy plays a factor in a battered woman's decision to stay with their abusive partner as it involves the potential well-being of their children and what exactly is best for them. Under the financial stability of an abusive partner, it means that a woman's child (or children) will be able to survive adequately as opposed to a single-parent income that may not be likely to provide structural support for a child's well-being. However, this also means raising a child in a dangerous and unhealthy environment that may not only place a battered woman in danger-but place the safety and well-being of her children in danger, as well. "It is the most common type of violence against women--one in four will experience domestic violence. Every year about 150 people are killed by a partner or former partner. The likelihood of assault is much higher during pregnancy or soon after giving birth" (Elizabeth Lynch, Home is Where the Hate is). Given that Stella and Stanley live in a poverty-stricken

Relationships should be equal and safe for both partners—male or female. Through campaigns, organizations, legislation, movements and evidently—people, domestic abuse can decrease in greater amounts today than it did before in order to provide a safe and secure environment for each gender, minority and children to grow up in and create a better world to live in. My research on domestic abuse was not just sparked by reading A Streetcar Named Desire, it was fueled by feminists that have experienced violent abuse themselves, feminists who've voiced equal rights for both genders, and it was inspired by my own personal experiences dealing with domestic abuse. Households living in situations regarding abuse of a loved one or themselves shouldn't have to carry that burden with them for the rest of their life. "There is one universal truth, applicable to all countries, cultures, and communities: violence against women is never acceptable, never excusable, never tolerable" (Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United