ABSTRACT
The relevance of a chapter on domestic violence to a book on men and childbearing may require a certain amount of explanation. This is supported by my personal experience of talking to colleagues, students and lay people about domestic violence and childbearing in preparation for this chapter. The need for an explanation also mirrors the observation by Bewley (2002a) of the attitudes of senior midwifery personnel and obstetricians in 1990. She identified: ‘disbelief and reluctance to accept domestic violence as an issue for health professionals’ (Bewley, 2002a:S3). This ‘disbelief and reluctance’ is not, however, unique to senior maternity care staff. It is my personal and recent observation that a secretary’s broken jaw, associated with her partner’s football team having lost its game, was a source of considerable hilarity in a gathering of (mainly male) academics.
