The feminist theory often analyzes a social issue in relation to gender and power. In the history of this social issue, both men and women, and boys and girls, have been victims and abusers of child abuse. While this is true, the feminist perspective tend to place the blame predominantly on the male gender. This is because they fall under the patriarchal family system where men make the family decisions and have the ultimate power. In past times, children, women, and wives were property of their fathers; this gave power to the male gender. Men often took more advantage of their children as society saw children as property rather than people. Research has additionally found that most child abusers are of the male gender. While times and gender roles continue to change, the feminist theory still accounts men for the issue of child abuse. According to Leon-Guerrero’s Social Problems Community, Policy, and Social Action, Men are socially expected to be aggressive, strong, and independent, whereas women are expected to be vulnerable, weak and dependent. These gender standards place felinity lower than masculinity in the hierarchy. Feminist argue that the man is typically the abuser because of this gender inequality. The social expectation of men is that they are the aggressors while women are quiet and work around the house.
In addition, men also get blamed for the abandonment of their children after leaving the family dynamic more than women do. It is shown that poverty and the maltreatment of children go hand in hand; as the parents or guardian of a child are either laid-off or unemployed, children experience their wrath of anger at home. For most individuals, home is a safe place and escape from society; it is in one’s home that they can release their anger without consequence typically. When a parent is laid-off and cannot support their family or needs, they take their frustration out on their families and children because they do not fear any consequence as no one is in their home to witness such actions. Built up aggression is taken out on the children who are helpless. In addition, the smaller/younger the child, the more likely they are to be abused as they have less self-defense. The younger the child, the easier they are to abuse as they will not fight back and they do not know all of their resources to get help from.
Feminist theorists often fight for the end and prevention of child abuse as their focus tends to defend smaller groups, in this case children and female children in particular. Feminist theorists fight for the end of child abuse and view the topic through a gender power dispute.