Feminist theory of male dominance on child sexual abuse

Feminist theory of male dominance on child sexual abuse The final theory to be discussed is feminist theory. This theory proposes that incest, as
well as all child sexual abuse, is symptomatic of a society in which patriarchal norms
are the standard (Coleman & Collins, 1990). As Waldby et al. (1 989) state, “patriarchy is the world view that seeks to create and maintain male control over females—it is a
system of male supremacy”.Thus, feminists believe that sexual assault, one form of which is child sexual abuse, is intrinsic to and derivative of a system of male
supremacy (Dominelli, 1989; Herman, 1990). As Herman (1981) states:

Whereas male supremacy creates the social conditions that favor the development of
father-daughter incest, the sexual division of labor creates the psychological conditions that lead to the same result. Male supremacy invests fathers with immense powers over
their children, especially their daughters. The sexual division of labor, in which women
nurture children and men do not, produces fathers who are predisposed to use their powers
exploitatively. The rearing of children by subordinate women ensures the reproduction in
each generation of the psychology of male supremacy. It produces sexually aggressive men with little capacity to nurture, nurturant women with undeveloped sexual capacities,
and children of both sexes who stand in awe of the power of fathers. (p. 62)
Because the family in a patriarchal society is defined as private space under the rule of male control, the powerless and dependent position of the members of the
family is exacerbated (Dinsmore, 1991). Access to information is also controlled largely by the father, which results in an increase in paternal power. The father’s
exercise of power, however, is supposedly tempered by trust, with a resultant
expectation by the powerless members of the family that they will be protected by
the powerful father (Dominelli, 1989). When incest occurs, the failure of the father to live up to this expectation is a betrayal of that trust and an abuse of that power.
Within families, rigid delineations of gender structured along traditional lines
are posited (Herman, 1981). As a result, “mothers are usually rendered powerless”
(Coleman & Collins, 1990, p. 340) through any of several means, including having a
higher than average number of children, being less educated than average, being economically dependent on their spouses, or being controlled by husbands through
isolation or physical force. Once incest ensues, it then becomes an organizing force
behind the family’s pattern of interaction (Carter, Papp, Silverstein, & Walters, 1986).
Thus, feminists believe that incest is a result of the power imbalance within the family
and the misuse of that power.
Finally, feminists believe that the offender “is not the product of a disturbed or dysfunctional family and may be as normal or abnormal as the rest of the so-called
normal population” (Rush, 1980, p. 2). Hence, incest is conceptualized as an exaggerated result of normative behaviors and beliefs for males within society
(Dinsmore, 1991). The question posed by feminists is not why some men abuse, but why all men do not (Herman, 1990).