Male violence or patriarchal violence? Global Trends in Men and Violence

Gary Barker

doi:10.1590/1984-6487.sess.2016.22.14.a

Abstract

Abstract Policies and research have focused recently on men's use of violence against women, and the terms "gender-based violence" or "domestic violence" have often been used rather than "patriarchal violence." This article argues that instead of talking about "male violence," or gender-based violence, a more useful analytical framework is "patriarchal violence." Applying this lens examines how violence is based in complex power relations - with low-income men and men in specific groups, such as indigenous men or men of socially excluded ethnic groups, experiencing it more at the hands of more powerful men. The article argues for moving beyond a simplistic repressive model of violence prevention that often ignores structural inequalities, to one that understands intersectionalities and multiple power dimensions while also taking into account power dimensions of men's violence against women.

Highlights

Linking violence to masculinity is obvious in global research, academic research and advocacy related to homicide, men’s violence against female partners and other forms of violence
Men are the main perpetrators of physical and sexual violence against women, and they are the vast majority of perpetrators and victims of homicide (WHO, 2014a)
Feminist scholar and activist bell hooks has argued that domestic violence is a “softer” term in that it too often inadvertently ignores power and male dominance inherent in such violence

Summary

Introduction

Linking violence to masculinity is obvious in global research, academic research and advocacy related to homicide, men’s violence against female partners and other forms of violence. Patriarchy both refers to the greater aggregate power that men have over women – social, political, economic – as well as power hierarchies between individual men and groups of men This lens of patriarchy helps us see how violence is based in complex power relations – with low-income men more likely to experience and use it – and with men in specific less-powerful groups, such as indigenous men or men of socially excluded ethnic groups, experiencing it more at the hands of more-powerful men or at times, among socially marginalized men who are mutually oppressed under economic and political systems. I will examine how understanding violence as patriarchal helps us identify the necessary structural solutions

Global Trends in Patriarchal Violence

Specific Patterns of Patriarchal Violence and What They Mean

Findings

Using a Lens of Patriarchal Violence to Find Solutions