Scotland and the Feminist Framing of Domestic Abuse

Abstract

This article elucidates the approach Scotland has taken to tackling the issue of domestic abuse, arguing that feminists were an important driving force not simply in placing the issue of domestic abuse on the public and political agenda, but in successfully establishing the issue as a gender-based problem. The policy and service implications of a gender-based approach has led to Scotland being identified as an exemplar. We illustrate some of the achievements in addressing domestic abuse including the new Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act (DASA) but argue that for this work to be successful, domestic abuse needs to continue to be conceptualised as a consequence of continuing gender inequality.