Published in association with the University of Otago

Women's Studies Journal 15(1) 1999 : 7-40

This paper discusses the issue of justice for battered women and considers the divide between grass-roots feminists and feminist theories. It uses the example of Gay Oakes to question both the ideals and methodologies of political theories of justice. It examines the professed ideals of social justice within a liberal democracy such as New Zealand, and the treatment, often considered unfair, that women receive in the justice system. It is argued that the justice system ineffectively addresses the problem of domestic violence for women, positing that political theory and its intention to affect justice does not work in practice.