From a young age, boys are taught not to hit girls because they’re stronger than them, but do parents drill into their daughters’ heads that hitting boys is wrong as well? If a boy hits a girls, there is an uproar of people questioning how the boy was raised––but if a girl does the same, people automatically question what the boy did to deserve it. It is 2018, this domestic abuse double standard has to go.

According to The Huffington Post, “Women are much more likely to be victims of intimate partner violence with 85 percent of domestic abuse victims being women and 15 percent men.” There is a large gap between the percentage of women reporting domestic abuse and the percentage of men reporting. This gap is not because all men are vicious animals that abuse their partners, but rather because men are either too embarrassed or prideful to report their partner’s assault, or because they do not think they will get any justice.

In 2013, actor Evan Peters accused his then-girlfriend, actress Emma Roberts, of physically assaulting him after a fight. Roberts sobbed and appeared visibly distressed about the incident as she clung to Peters. Peters refused to press charges, like many domestic abuse victims, and ended up claiming it was an accident.

Imagine if the roles were reversed in this particular incident. A male charged with domestic abuse clings to his partner, who later drops charges claiming it an accident. There would be so much backlash. People would say the woman is dumb or naive for believing that the man would not do it again. The man would be seen as a monster that abused the woman that he’s suppose to protect. See the double standard?

Regardless of gender, all domestic abuse victims have to be taken seriously. The double standard concerning abuse should not be present in today’s society where there is a current fight for gender equality. Equality must be applied in all situations in order for there to be true progression in the world.