Why is violence against women
so pervasive?
Gender-based violence, and in particular violence against women, is one of the most pronounced expressions of the unequal power relations between women and men. The main cause of the violence is the perpetrator him or herself: it is very important to keep in mind that a person who has been affected by gender-based violence is never responsible for the perpetrator’s actions. There is no single factor that can explain gender-based violence in our societies, but rather a myriad of factors contribute to it, and the interplay of these factors lies at the root of the problem.
Four types of factors can be identified. CULTURAL, LEGAL, ECONOMIC, POLITICAL.
CULTURAL FACTORS
Patriarchal and sexist views legitimize violence to ensure the dominance and superiority of men. Other cultural factors include gender stereotypes and prejudice, normative expectations of femininity and masculinity, the socialization of gender, an understanding of the family sphere as private and under male authority, and a general acceptance of violence as part of the public sphere (e.g. street sexual harassment of women), and/or as an acceptable means to solve conflict and assert oneself.
LEGAL FACTORS
Being a victim of gender-based violence is perceived in many societies as shameful and weak, with many women still being considered guilty of attracting violence against themselves through their behaviour. This partly accounts for enduring low levels of reporting and investigation.
ECONOMIC FACTORS
The lack of economic resources generally makes women, but also LGBT+ people particularly vulnerable to violence. It creates patterns of violence and poverty that become self-perpetuating, making it extremely difficult for the victims to extricate themselves. When unemployment and poverty affect men, this can also cause them to assert their masculinity through violent means.
POLITICAL FACTORS
The under-representation of women and LGBT+ people in power and politics means that they have fewer opportunities to shape the discussion and to affect changes in policy, or to adopt measures to combat gender-based violence and support equality. The topic of gender-based violence is in some cases deemed not to be important, with domestic violence also being given insufficient resources and attention.
(Read more)
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AS A SOCIETAL DYSFUNCTION
"Unless we change the culture, victimization of women will continue."
Posted September 26, 2018
by Bandy X. Lee M.D., M.Div. | Psychiatry in Society
PSYCHOLOGYTODAY.COM
"Unless we change the culture, victimization of women will continue."
Posted September 26, 2018
by Bandy X. Lee M.D., M.Div. | Psychiatry in Society
PSYCHOLOGYTODAY.COM
There is a reason why only a fraction of rapes are reported, often decades later. A culture that creates the abuse of women in the first place ensures their punishment if they were to come forth. Among the very small percentage of sexual assaults that are reported, exceedingly few are brought to prosecution. Instead, the women suffer accusations much as in the president’s “tweet”: “if the attack … was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities” (Malloy, 2018). These conditions make understandable the cataclysm of the “#MeToo” movement starting in October 2017, which we can interpret as an impulse for healing a societal ailment.
(Read more)
EIGHT REASONS WOMEN STAY IN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS
by Jason Whiting, @JASON_WHITING
JULY 21, 2016
IFSTUDIES.ORG
by Jason Whiting, @JASON_WHITING
JULY 21, 2016
IFSTUDIES.ORG
When NFL linebacker Ray Rice knocked his fiancée Janay Palmer unconscious in an elevator in 2014, it didn't initially get much attention. He was accused of domestic violence and suspended for two games. After a few weeks, he was formally charged, but he and Palmer were married the next day.
However, when a security video of the event surfaced, it quickly went viral. Watching Janay Palmer get knocked down and roughly dragged out of the elevator by Rice had a powerful effect on viewers. The waves of outrage that followed caused the NFL to scramble to increase their punishment of Ray Rice and conduct an internal review of their domestic violence policies.
Things took an interesting turn when Janay Palmer spoke out in defense of her husband. She apologized at a press conference saying: “I deeply regret the role I played that night,” and later asked people to stop their judgments and accusations. “Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is,” she posted on Instagram, asking others to not take anything from the man she loves.
EIGHT MAIN REASONS WOMEN STAY IN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS:
1. Distorted Thoughts. Being controlled and hurt is traumatizing, and this leads to confusion, doubts, and even self-blame. Perpetrators harass and accuse victims, which wears them down and causes despair and guilt.3 For example, women shared: “I believed I deserved it,” and, “I was ashamed, embarrassed, and blamed myself because I thought I triggered him.” Others minimized the abuse as a way to cope with it, saying: “[I stayed] because I didn’t think that emotional and financial abuse was really abuse. Because words don’t leave bruises,’’ and, “Because I didn’t know what my boyfriend did to me was rape.”
2. Damaged Self-Worth. Related was the damage to the self that is the result of degrading treatment. Many women felt beaten down and of no value, saying: “He made me believe I was worthless and alone,” and, “I felt I had done something wrong and I deserved it.”
3. Fear. The threat of bodily and emotional harm is powerful, and abusers use this to control and keep women trapped.4 Female victims of violence are much more likely than male victims to be terrorized and traumatized.5 One said: “I was afraid of him…I knew he’d make leaving an ugly drawn out nightmare.” Attempting to leave an abuser is dangerous. One woman felt trapped because of her husband’s “threats of hunting me down and harming all my loved ones including our kids while I watched and then killing me.”
4. Wanting to be a Savior. Many described a desire to help, or love their partners with the hopes that they could change them: “I believed I could love the abuse out of him.” Others described internal values or commitments to the marriage or partner, with tweets like: “I thought I would be the strong one who would never leave him and show him loyalty. I would fix him and teach him love.” Others had pity and put their partner’s needs above their own: “His father died, he became an alcoholic and said that God wouldn’t want me to leave him because he needed me to make him better.”
5. Children. These women also put their children first, sacrificing their own safety: “I was afraid if he wasn’t beating me he would beat his kids. And I valued their lives more than my own.” And, “I stayed for 20 years while I protected our children, all while I was being abused.” Others mentioned staying to benefit the children: “I wanted my son to have a father.”
6. Family Expectations and Experiences. Many posted descriptions of how past experiences with violence distorted their sense of self or of healthy relationships: “I watched [my dad] beat my mom. Then I found someone just like dad,” or, “Because raised by animals, you partner with wolves.” Some mentioned family and religious pressures: “My mother told me God would disown me if I broke my marriage.”
7. Financial Constraints. Many referred to financial limitations, and these were often connected to caring for children: “I had no family, two young children, no money, and guilt because he had brain damage from a car accident.” Others were unable to keep jobs because of the abuser’s control or their injuries, and others were used financially by their abuser: “[My] ex racked up thousands of debt in my name.”
8. Isolation. A common tactic of manipulative partners is to separate their victim from family and friends. Sometimes this is physical, as one woman experienced: “I was literally trapped in the backwoods of WV, and he would use my little boy to keep me close.” Other times isolation is emotional, as one woman was told: “You can either have friends and family or you can have me.”
Although these eight reasons for staying are common, they do not describe every victim and situation. Women can also be perpetrators, and there are many patterns of violence.
(Read more)
WHY DO WE NORMALIZE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN?
"Even though it's a growing problem, society continues to normalize it."
by Mariana Plata | Posted November 21, 2018
The Gen Y Psy
PSYCHOLOGYTODAY.COM
"Even though it's a growing problem, society continues to normalize it."
by Mariana Plata | Posted November 21, 2018
The Gen Y Psy
PSYCHOLOGYTODAY.COM
Why do we consistently give the aggressor the benefit of the doubt? Why do we struggle to comprehend that a victim is never responsible for their abuse? There's nothing anyone can or should do to give permission to another person to physically or emotionally invade and/or hurt someone else. Why do we keep making women responsible for their abuse? More importantly, what are the different faces of the violence we keep normalizing?
Even when men don't consider their behaviors violent, this survey shows how they do hold beliefs that normalize violence against women. But where do these come from? The report explains that it's the interdependence of personal, family, and social values, which interact and maintain normalization. Toxic masculinity, internalized misogyny, and patriarchal societies are all forms in which these beliefs are established. And it becomes a vicious cycle which can only be stopped through awareness, education, and active defiance of gender stereotypes.
(Read more)
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ISN'T ABOUT WOMEN
Contributors: Avivah Wittenberg-Cox; Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
FORBES.COM | Mar 21, 2021,07:02am EDT
Contributors: Avivah Wittenberg-Cox; Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
FORBES.COM | Mar 21, 2021,07:02am EDT
5 Steps to Addressing Male Violence
1. Flip the Script: Focus on the issue by naming it. Stop talking about ‘violence against women’ and start talking about violent masculinity and how to address it.
2. Gender Balance Governments: represent 100% of the population and their interests. Johnson’s cabinet is one of the most male-dominated in decades. Male dominated governments don’t and won’t prioritise women’s interests. Nor will they do Step 3.
3. Gender Balance Police & Security Forces: The UK police force is overwhelmingly run by men. Progress has been painfully slow. Accelerate it. Balance in police forces is linked to better understanding and connections with communities.
4. Gender Balance Teachers: Pay attention to gender ratios at all levels of education. There are too many women teachers at young ages (75%) and too many male professors dominating key roles in universities, police and military academies. Make faculty gender balance a priority to build relevant educators and role models for all genders.
5. Get It on the Curriculum: Educate men (& women) about masculinity early. Help everyone learn how to manage relationships across genders. Build relational and self-management skills to help men manage emotions in ways other than beating up on the person closest to them.
(Read more)
1. Flip the Script: Focus on the issue by naming it. Stop talking about ‘violence against women’ and start talking about violent masculinity and how to address it.
2. Gender Balance Governments: represent 100% of the population and their interests. Johnson’s cabinet is one of the most male-dominated in decades. Male dominated governments don’t and won’t prioritise women’s interests. Nor will they do Step 3.
3. Gender Balance Police & Security Forces: The UK police force is overwhelmingly run by men. Progress has been painfully slow. Accelerate it. Balance in police forces is linked to better understanding and connections with communities.
4. Gender Balance Teachers: Pay attention to gender ratios at all levels of education. There are too many women teachers at young ages (75%) and too many male professors dominating key roles in universities, police and military academies. Make faculty gender balance a priority to build relevant educators and role models for all genders.
5. Get It on the Curriculum: Educate men (& women) about masculinity early. Help everyone learn how to manage relationships across genders. Build relational and self-management skills to help men manage emotions in ways other than beating up on the person closest to them.
(Read more)
WHY DO MEN SEXUALLY ASSAULT WOMEN?
"Sexual violence against women manifests, rather than violates, society’s norms."
by Noam Shpancer Ph.D. | Insight Therapy
PSYCHOLOGYTODAY.COM
Posted November 3, 2014 | Reviewed by Davia Sills
"Sexual violence against women manifests, rather than violates, society’s norms."
by Noam Shpancer Ph.D. | Insight Therapy
PSYCHOLOGYTODAY.COM
Posted November 3, 2014 | Reviewed by Davia Sills
Why do men sexually assault women?
First, because they can. By their genetic lot, men are on average stronger than women and can overpower them physically. Anatomy is destiny, Freud said. And so it’s the destiny of women that if men wish to impose their will, physical force is one available tool. The same is not true in reverse. This biological difference is not fair—but there is no fairness in nature; there is only nature in nature. And the difference is not likely to disappear any time soon.
Another reason sexual violence is so common is that sex and violence are closely linked in our internal architecture. Sex has inherently violent undertones (in the same way that violence has sexual undertones). This is not a new observation. But the sex-violence link has traditionally been discussed in the context of over-stimulated male sexuality.
In late Victorian times, for example, the male sex drive was considered so explosive and animalistic as to render men unable to control themselves when stimulated (women were not considered to be much interested in sex for any reason other than procreation). This storyline is good for justifying male misbehavior and has also been used far and wide to justify men’s efforts to control where women go, what they say, and how they dress. However, it falls apart upon close examination. As a student in my sexuality class put it: “If your parents walk in on you having sex with your girlfriend, you stop what you’re doing in a second, no matter what…” Yes, men have ample control of their sexuality.
(Read more)
WHY DO SOME MEN USE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND HOW CAN WE PREVENT IT?
Quantitative Findings from the United Nations Multi-country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific
Source: GSDRC Applied Knowledge Services
Summary
This report presents the findings from the UN Multi-country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific. This study was designed to generate knowledge on how masculinities—identities and patterns of practices that shape gender norms for men—relate to men’s perceptions and perpetration of violence against women in order to prevent it. The study aimed to deepen understanding of the meaning and causes of men’s violence against women. The research was also conceptualised to ascertain men’s own experiences of violence as victims and/or as witnesses and to assess how that may be related to men’s perpetration of different types of violence.
The study was a collaborative effort involving partners from academia, research institutes, civil society, the United Nations family and governments around the globe. It was developed and coordinated by Partners for Prevention with the Medical Research Council of South Africa and study teams in each country who led the surveying. This report is based upon the population-based quantitative survey component of the study, which was conducted from 2010-2013 with more than 10,000 men and 3,000 women in nine sites across six countries in the region (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Papua New Guinea).
The data were collected and analysed from a scientific epidemiological perspective. To ensure data comparability across sites, the study used a standardised structured questionnaire. Male subjects were interviewed by male interviewers and female subjects were interviewed by female interviewers.
Key Findings:
Recommendations:
(Download a PDF copy of the report HERE.)
Quantitative Findings from the United Nations Multi-country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific
Source: GSDRC Applied Knowledge Services
Summary
This report presents the findings from the UN Multi-country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific. This study was designed to generate knowledge on how masculinities—identities and patterns of practices that shape gender norms for men—relate to men’s perceptions and perpetration of violence against women in order to prevent it. The study aimed to deepen understanding of the meaning and causes of men’s violence against women. The research was also conceptualised to ascertain men’s own experiences of violence as victims and/or as witnesses and to assess how that may be related to men’s perpetration of different types of violence.
The study was a collaborative effort involving partners from academia, research institutes, civil society, the United Nations family and governments around the globe. It was developed and coordinated by Partners for Prevention with the Medical Research Council of South Africa and study teams in each country who led the surveying. This report is based upon the population-based quantitative survey component of the study, which was conducted from 2010-2013 with more than 10,000 men and 3,000 women in nine sites across six countries in the region (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Papua New Guinea).
The data were collected and analysed from a scientific epidemiological perspective. To ensure data comparability across sites, the study used a standardised structured questionnaire. Male subjects were interviewed by male interviewers and female subjects were interviewed by female interviewers.
Key Findings:
- Men’s use of violence against intimate female partners was pervasive across the Asia-Pacific region, but prevalence varied across sites. Patterns of intimate partner violence perpetration varied across sites. Male rape of women was pervasive across the region but prevalence varied across sites. Rape of an intimate partner was more common than non-partner rape in most sites.
- Rape perpetration started early in life and was most commonly motivated by a sense of sexual entitlement. The majority of men who perpetrated rape did not experience any legal consequences. Although not nearly as prevalent as the rape of women, some men also perpetrate rape against other men.
- Men and women supported gender equality in the abstract but less so in practice. Men’s experiences of abuse during childhood were common and had serious consequences. Some men also experienced rape by other men. A large proportion of men suffered from work-related stress, depression and suicidal tendencies.
- Not all men used violence, but by those who did, their use of violence was associated with a complex interplay of factors at different levels. Intimate partner violence was largely driven by factors related to gender inequality, childhood experiences and the enactment of harmful forms of masculinity. Men’s rape of women was strongly associated with having more sexual partners, transactional sex, using physical violence against female partners, men’s own victimisation and participation in violence outside the home. Rape of a man was strongly associated with having more sexual partners, men’s own victimisation and participation in violence outside the home. Factors associated with men’s use of violence against women varied by type of violence across sites.
Recommendations:
- Change social norms related to the acceptability of violence and the subordination of women.
- Promote non-violent masculinities oriented towards equality and respect.
- Address child abuse and promote healthy families and nurturing, violence-free environments for children.
- Work with young boys to address early ages of sexual violence perpetration.
- Promote healthy sexuality for men and address male sexual entitlement.
- End impunity for men who rape.
- Develop interventions that respond to the specific patterns of violence in each context.
(Download a PDF copy of the report HERE.)
3 CAUSES OF GENDER BASED VIOLENCE
Concern Worldwide US (www.concernusa.org)
March 5, 2019
Written by Olivia Giovetti
"Gender-based violence (GBV) has been recognized as an international public health and human rights issue — but it’s also a key driver of extreme poverty. An estimated 35% of women worldwide have experienced either physical or sexual violence."
Concern Worldwide US (www.concernusa.org)
March 5, 2019
Written by Olivia Giovetti
"Gender-based violence (GBV) has been recognized as an international public health and human rights issue — but it’s also a key driver of extreme poverty. An estimated 35% of women worldwide have experienced either physical or sexual violence."
1. HARMFUL GENDER NORMS
Gender stereotypes and are often used to justify violence against women. Cultural norms often dictate that men are aggressive, controlling, and dominant, while women are docile, subservient, and rely on men as providers. These norms can foster a culture of abuse outright, such as early and forced marriage or female genital mutilation, the latter spurred by outdated and harmful notions of female sexuality and virginity.
These norms can also cause violence when the are challenged. Ibrahim*, was a gentle poetry-loving teacher when he married Khadija* and they began a family. But after the Syrian war left him a refugee with no job, a sense of worthlessness, and responsibility for his wife, their 7 children and his mother, the gentleness fled and he began to beat his wife.
Of the 5.6 million people who have fled Syria to live in neighboring countries, 4 out of 5 are women and children. Surveys show that refugee men, who feel it is their duty to support their families, but can’t find the means, often resort to gender-based violence.
2. HUNGER
Just as empowering women can help eliminate hunger, food scarcity also leads to increased gender-based violence. In Malawi, where a 2013 survey revealed that 61% of women and girls said they had experienced sexual violence and 64% had experienced physical violence, an ongoing food crisis only worsened the situation.
Women and girls face more early and forced marriages as families seek dowry payments and try to reduce their food bill. Women may have to sell sex to survive, and money shortages increase tensions within families, which can lead to violence. Though Malawi’s new Marriage Act increases the legal minimum age for marriage to 18, that’s not always what happens in practice.
3. WAR AND CONFLICT
Forced marriage isn’t just the result of hunger; conflict zones have also created more child brides. According to Girls Not Brides, child marriage has increased since the start of the crisis, as parents hope that through marriage, their daughters will be cared for. For Syrian families, these negative coping mechanisms are all desperate responses to a desperate situation, done in hopes that they will ensure their daughter’s safety and financial security, and reduce the burden on the family.
During displacement, women may experience not only sexual exploitation and abuse, but also gendered denial of access to basic services. On return, women face challenges that are conditioned by social roles, and their status as mothers, widows, property owners or survivors of violence. These risks are all compounded by intersecting inequalities and vulnerabilities.
(Read more)
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IS A SCOURGE ON POOR COUNTRIES
"But women’s campaigns are starting to have an effect."
THE ECONOMIST | Mar 13th 2021 edition
DAKAR, LUWERO, MOMBASA AND MWESO
Mar 11th 2021
"But women’s campaigns are starting to have an effect."
THE ECONOMIST | Mar 13th 2021 edition
DAKAR, LUWERO, MOMBASA AND MWESO
Mar 11th 2021
Why are men so violent towards women? For much of history, the answer has been: to dominate women. Violence helps them do this; men are on average much stronger than women. Husbands have long hit their wives, or threatened to do so, to force them to do what they want. Fathers have done the same to daughters. Many societies have assumed this to be the natural order of things: injunctions for wives to obey their husbands are common in old laws, customs and religious texts.
What has changed in modern times is that many have come to see this as profoundly wrong. The notion that women should obey men or put up with violence is derided in rich liberal democracies, but it is easy to forget how recent that change is. A century ago, most societies took it for granted that men would “discipline” their wives. Marital rape was criminalised in Germany only in 1997.
Social progress has moved hand in hand with the material sort. In rich countries, laws against domestic abuse are enforced imperfectly, but they are enforced. Wife-beaters are socially stigmatised. And, just as important, women who leave violent husbands know that neither they nor their children will starve. In poor countries, they may not be so sure. So in rich countries women find it easier to walk away (though often still very hard). And knowing that their wives can leave gives men an incentive to treat them better.
(Read more)
DISCLAIMER :
In creating this website, we emphasize that the utilization of certain web content does not equate to ownership, nor does it indicate any intention of copyright infringement. The incorporation of such materials is solely for the purpose of fostering awareness surrounding the critical issues of violence against women and the pursuit of gender equality. Every effort has been made to appropriately attribute and acknowledge the original sources of the content used. It is our fervent hope that through this platform, we can contribute meaningfully to the ongoing dialogue and advocacy aimed at addressing these pressing societal concerns with empathy, compassion, and a commitment to positive change.
In creating this website, we emphasize that the utilization of certain web content does not equate to ownership, nor does it indicate any intention of copyright infringement. The incorporation of such materials is solely for the purpose of fostering awareness surrounding the critical issues of violence against women and the pursuit of gender equality. Every effort has been made to appropriately attribute and acknowledge the original sources of the content used. It is our fervent hope that through this platform, we can contribute meaningfully to the ongoing dialogue and advocacy aimed at addressing these pressing societal concerns with empathy, compassion, and a commitment to positive change.
