There are too many women with love brains’
Domestic violence and victim blaming in China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15748943 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lihan Miao (0009-0000-3695-4402, Durham University, corresponding author), Nicole Westmarland (0000-0002-1964-248X, Durham University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-18 |
| Publication date | 2025-03-07 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Gender-Based Violence (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2398-6808 • E-ISSN: 2398-6816 |
| Publisher | Policy Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1332/23986808y2025d000000073 |
| OpenAlex | W4408215213 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 16 |
While there exists increasing awareness and legal remedies in relation to domestic violence in China, victim-blaming still exists – especially in online discourse. This research investigated public reactions to domestic violence in China, using comments made by women on Weibo – China’s largest social media platform. Thematic analysis was used to analyse 500 comments related to four extremely high-profile domestic violence cases. The analysis reveals that victim-blaming is manifested in six overlapping ways, blaming victims for: 1) choosing the wrong partner, 2) not resisting abuse, 3) failing to leave the relationship, 4) having ‘weak personalities’, 5) lacking rationality, dignity and self-love, and 6) being overly influenced by love – known as ‘love brain’. The findings not only shed light on the complexities of victim-blaming on social media in China but also illustrate the ongoing clash between modern feminist thought and entrenched patriarchal values within contemporary Chinese culture
China · Criminology · Domestic violence · Medical emergency · Poison control · Political science · Suicide prevention · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Sex work and related issues
What is made-in-China feminism(s)? Gender discontent and class friction in post-socialist China
What “Family Affair?” Domestic Violence Awareness in China
Counter-discourse production in social media
Re-articulating feminisms
Learning to see, learning to say, and learning to eradicate domestic violence in China
Whose Fault Is It?” How Rural Chinese Women Explain Intimate Partner Violence
Killed Out of Love”
Transnational influences on Domestic Violence Policy and Action – Exploring Developments in China and England
Rewriting “the personal is political”
Chinese Women's Acceptance of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women
Trapped in My Roles as a Woman With No Help
Responsibility Attribution for Violence Against Women
The American Journal of Public Health
Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Violence in China
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Unruly Spaces
| Citations per year | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |