Through the lens of gender: domestic abuse of older women in England and Japan

Domestic abuse at the last stage of the life cycle is becoming increasingly recognized as a social problem in many countries and is of concern to health professionals, legislators, policymakers, criminal justice professionals, and academics across a number of disciplines. Elder abuse takes a number of forms and can occur within domestic and institutional settings, which makes definition, detection, and intervention problematic. Despite legislative reforms to prevent, protect, and provide for the victims of such abuse, elder abuse in the home continues to lurk at the margins of much mainstream debate on domestic violence and family abuse. It is necessary for professionals to extend their knowledge about domestic abuse to older women. Research suggests that the social conditions of caregivers have a direct relation to elder abuse in domestic settings, and there is a strongly gendered dimension to this. This article draws on existing literature on domestic violence and elder abuse in two geographic locations to analyze social strain as a key determinant in the abuse experienced by some women at the last stage of the life cycle.