Domestic Violence Offices Need to Retire the ‘Power and Control Wheel’

The Duluth Model’s ‘Power and Control Wheel,’ developed by feminist Ellen Pence in 1981, is posted on the walls of participating domestic violence shelters and offices all over the world. The underlying theory is that only women are victims and men can only be abusers.

If you have ever been inside a domestic violence shelter or supporting office, you have most likely seen this poster on the wall. The “Power and Control Wheel” is a widely disseminated image that is a product of the Duluth Model, a feminist study on domestic abuse from 1981.

The language used in domestic violence propaganda has been criticized for decades for it’s ineffectiveness, blatant sexism towards men, and ‘blind spots’ for minority women and the LGBTQ+ community.

A 2014 study showed a 40% recidivism rate of abusers within 5 years who were treated using the Duluth Model. In contrast, there has been a zero percent recidivism rate when using gender-neutral ‘Nonviolent Communication’ methods. However, the Duluth Model is still used as the foundation for the majority of state, federal, and private non-profit domestic abuse organizations.

An example of a domestic violence poster that uses sexist language.

As a male victim of domestic abuse, I went to 3 domestic violence shelters who had the ‘Power and Control Wheel’ plastered on the walls. In fact, it was the only poster that appeared at each location my son and I went to. All of the other posters only showed female victims, usually white, usually crying, hugging a child, staring longingly for freedom out a window. Beneath it, there were slogans such as, “Before he raises another fist to you, raise a phone and call us for help.”

I felt that it was deeply insulting that they would be so tone-deaf to male victims. It made me feel unwelcomed. In fact, I was turned away from the Family Advocacy Program (FAP) 5 times. FAP is federally funded and is mandated to accept male victims.

The Family Advocacy Program has a sordid history of unprofessionalism, bias against military service members, and discrimination towards male victims.

A screenshot of the military’s Family Advocacy Program mandatory annual training. Service members are required to read through a PowerPoint that uses sexist language throughout.

The Domestic Violence Action Center (DVAC) in Honolulu, Hawaii is state funded. A female employee hung up on me 4 times when I called ahead and she heard a male voice.

The Parents and Children Together (PACT) organization was the only program that offered services for male victims. However, they still had the ‘Power and Control Wheel’ blown up to 4' x 4', laminated, and displayed in every room of their building.

I left feedback with PACT regarding their posters and the sexist overtones and to my surprise, they took down the ‘Power and Control Wheel’ and other posters which pegged men as the abuser and eventually replaced them with gender-neutral ones.

The images used in domestic violence posters almost exclusively depict male on female violence.

These posters may not appear to be a big deal, but they are. They re-enforce the idea that only men can be abusers and women can only be defenseless, non-working victims. In the poster, there are 30 references to women being victims and zero references to male victims.

The poster’s most obvious and blatant example of sexism is the “Don’t Use Male Privilege” section. The language is speaking directly to the person reading the poster, which they assume is a man. This poster is not written for women to read.

Ironically, the poster is written for men to read, yet it is displayed in domestic violence shelters that typically don’t allow men to enter.

This “finger wagging” at the reader is used throughout. “Don’t make her feel afraid by using looks,” “Don’t make her do illegal things,” “Don’t act like the ‘master of the castle,’” and “Don’t give her money” and “Don’t take her money.”

Yikes.

I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Who is this poster for?” It’s not for women. It’s not for male victims. The poster is a series of instructions to male abusers, using language that any psychologist would cringe at. If victims, male or female, were to repeat this information to their abuser, it would only make matters worse (I know from personal experience that telling an abuser, “I am not your servant,” only makes the abuser more upset and defensive.)

The language is sexist. The data shows it is an ineffective way to prevent domestic violence. If you see one these posters displayed in an office, you should see it as a red flag that the policies of the staff and leadership are outdated and foster a culture of discrimination.

If you work in an office that has this poster, do us all a favor and tear it down.

Burn it.

An example of a poster used to try and balance the gender symmetry of domestic violence.