The Taboo of Female Violence in Relationships

In this episode of The Miller Report: Real Clear Journalism, we explore a new RealClearInvestigations report that takes on one of society’s last taboos: acknowledging that women can also be perpetrators of violence in relationships.

While domestic violence is often framed as men harming women, research shows things are more complex. A Canadian study of nearly 36,000 teens found that boys reported significantly higher rates of dating violence than girls over a decade, with similar findings emerging from the U.K. Yet cultural taboos, academic pushback, and fears of undermining women’s advocacy have left male victims overlooked and underserved.

Maggie Miller speaks with psychologist and lead investigator Christopher J. Ferguson about why female violence remains so difficult to discuss, how mental health plays a role, and whether reframing domestic violence as a human, not gendered, issue can lead to better solutions.