ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the unique factors and circumstances that impact on lesbian's experiences of domestic violence. The majority of studies on domestic violence have focused on violence in heterosexual relationships. Like for other groups of women, reported prevalence rates for lesbian relationship violence are contradictory, with some studies reporting similar rates of violence for lesbian couples as for gay and heterosexual couples. Power imbalance has also been propounded as a contributing factor in physical violence within lesbian relationships. Feminist analyses have tended to invoke theories about male gendered power to explain violence in intimate relationships. Consequently, some researchers have turned their attention to non-gender-related theories, such as those relating to the personality of individuals, to explain violence across genders and sexualities. Domestic violence also threatens the highly valued subject position of the strong and assertive woman, an identity that is accepted in the mainstream culture and embraced in the lesbian community.
