Abstract
BackgroundTraditional gender roles (GRs) have a considerable influence on relationships among couples. These can lead to negative health effects in women; however, their impact on intimate partner violence (IPV) has been less explored, especially among younger women.ObjectiveTo explore the association between traditional GRs and several indicators of IPV on a sample of Spanish female university students involved in heterosexual dating relationships.MethodsA cross-sectional study involving female university students (n = 1,005) pursuing ten degrees (four Health Science degrees and six Social Sciences degrees). Data were collected using two validated scales: 1) the Questionnaire on the Gender Determinants of Contraception (COGANT), used to examine four traditional GRs (submissive, blind, and passive attitudes of female students, and male dominance), and 2) the Dating Violence Questionnaire-R (DVQ-R) scale, used to measure five types of IPV-behaviors (coercion, detachment, humiliation, sexual violence, and physical violence), perceived fear, entrapment, and abuse. Logistic and linear regressions were conducted to study the association between GR and a series of IPV indicators in dating relationships.ResultsTraditional GRs were highly prevalent (57.0% submissive, 52.0% blind attitude, 75.7% passive, and 31.7% identified their boyfriend as being dominant). Up to 66.3% experienced some type of violent behavior. All GRs were significantly associated with IPV indicators. A submissive attitude in female students was the GR that was most strongly associated to total IPV-behavior (adjusted odd ratio [OR] = 3.18; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.29–4.42), followed by male dominance (OR = 2.79: 95% CI:1.71: 4.54). Both GRs were also highly associated with perceived fear, entrapment, and abuse.ConclusionsA high presence of traditional GRs was found in the relationships held by female university students, which was significantly associated with IPV indicators. Universities must adopt policies for gender equality and raise awareness on dating violence.
Highlights
Patriarchy and gender rolesGender has been traditionally defined as being a social and cultural construct which determines aspects, such as the values, attitudes, and expectations that are considered appropriate for men and women [1,2,3]
All Gender roles (GRs) were significantly associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) indicators
A high presence of traditional GRs was found in the relationships held by female university students, which was significantly associated with IPV indicators
Summary
Gender has been traditionally defined as being a social and cultural construct which determines aspects, such as the values, attitudes, and expectations that are considered appropriate for men and women [1,2,3]. The configuration of GRs in a patriarchal society usually implies a series of demands to adapt to the expected role. In this way, pressure is exerted to maintain a system where men remain in power in the most valued spheres of life, whereas women are typically relegated to inferior or less visible positions. According to traditional GRs, girls and young women are expected to configurate their attitudes and individual positions within the couple to respond to the demands of patriarchal society [3,10]
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