“You are so ugly, you whore”- girls in rural Sweden discuss and address gendered violence

Sara Nyhlén,Katja Gillander Gådin,Lotta Brännström

doi:10.1080/17482631.2019.1695308

Sara Nyhlén, Katja Gillander Gådin + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2019.1695308

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Girls face gendered violence on an everyday basis, and this may have severe health consequences. Purpose: The aim of this study was to learn about gendered violence facing girls in rural Sweden in their everyday life, as it is experienced by the girls themselves. Method: Using the photovoice method, we worked with 35 girls in an upper secondary school, aged between 16 and 20, to explore how they navigated social spaces and developed strategies for increased safety. Results: Thematic analysis revealed two main themes (constant fear and strategies) and four sub themes (fear of being raped, fear of being labelled and excluded, being “appropriately” sexually active, and appearance and performance for increased feelings of safety). Conclusion: We considered how gendered violence facing girls led to fear and marginalization in a range of situations and interactions. Consequently, girls occupied significantly smaller social spaces compared to boys, and we argue that this was reproduced and upheld through everyday practices informed by hegemonic masculinity and performativity.

Highlights

Violence against women is a global public health problem of epidemic proportions that penetrates all parts of society and knows no cultural or economic limitations (Ellsberg et al, 2015) Gendered violence is defined as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life” (United Nations, 1994)
In Phase 3, we aimed to address the purpose of the study, i.e., to learn about the gendered violence facing girls in their everyday life
The first theme, constant fear, is divided in two sub-themes that explain what type of fear the girls expressed, and how this fear is entangled in their everyday lives and marginalizes girls’ social space

Summary

Introduction

Violence against women is a global public health problem of epidemic proportions that penetrates all parts of society and knows no cultural or economic limitations (Ellsberg et al, 2015) Gendered violence is defined as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life” (United Nations, 1994). According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimations (World Health Organization, 2017) one in three women globally have experienced gendered violence, which is both a cause and an effect of social inequalities (Krug, Mercy, Dahlberg, & Zwi, 2002). Gendered violence against girls and young women limits access to healthcare and education, and affects the spread of STDs and HIV (Dellar, Dlamini, & Karim, 2015; Moletsane, Mitchell, & Lewin, 2010). It is associated with deliberate self-harm (Landstedt & Gillander Gådin, 2011) depression, poor psychological and physical health, and increased risk of alcohol and substance misuse (Bucchianeri, Eisenberg, Wall, Piran, & Neumark-Sztainer, 2014)

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