Unfortunately, men do remain at higher risk of domestic violence charges than women due to residual perceptions of men as strong and threatening and women as weak and vulnerable. Police are more likely to lay a charge of domestic violence against a man if called to the scene of a domestic incident and if there has been abuse from both sides, it is more likely that a man will be charged than the woman.
This does not mean that women will not be charged with domestic violence. It is not uncommon at all for women to be charged with domestic violence even for small actions such as slapping their husband in the face. Parties should keep in mind that once they have charged their spouse with domestic violence that the crown will take over the charge and they will have no ability to force the government to withdraw the charges.
