Gender Symmetry Research Articles

Unveiling the Gender Symmetry Debate: Exploring Consequences, Instructions, and Forms of Violence in Intimate Partner Violence.

Official statistics and data from police and judicial systems consistently show that intimate partner violence (IPV) is a worldwide problem predominantly affecting women perpetrated by male partners. Yet, certain behavioral checklists yield similar IPV rates for both genders, sparking the gender symmetry/asymmetry debate. Some possible explanations for this discrepancy reside in (a) considering or not the consequences of violence, (b) possible inadequacies of the instructions given to participants when answering checklists, and (c) considering or not certain behaviors typically asymmetrical (e.g., economic violence). In order to test these three hypotheses, we conducted two studies in the Spanish context using the Partner Victimization Scale (PVS). In Study 1, participants (n = 449) answered a Spanish version of the PVS (with the instructions "Not including horseplay or joking around") and reported consequences of violence on their self-esteem and health. In Study 2 (n = 172), we experimentally manipulated the instructions given to participants when answering the PVS (including those of Study 1 or not) and also added some items of typically asymmetrical violence. Other measures of consequences of violence were assessed. Results of Study 1 replicated the original PVSs factor structure and showed gender asymmetry (more female than male victimization) in four of five items, and the victimization rates were related to consequences of violence, providing construct validity to this version of the scale. Results of Study 2 underlined the relevance of the instructions and of the addition of certain types of violence in the symmetry/asymmetry rates informed. Additionally, the IPV reported was associated with worse consequences for women than for men. Our findings suggest that the detection of IPV increases when the instructions are clarified, when certain items are added, and when the consequences of IPV are considered.

Taking Seriousness Seriously: Revisiting Gender Symmetry and Mutual Violence in Intimate Partner Violence through Role Types in Intimate Partner Violence Events Reported to the Police

The study examines gender symmetry and asymmetry in intimate partner violence (IPV) reported to the police. A large database of police-recorded IPV events in British Columbia is analyzed over a four-year period (2009–2012) to examine the nature of gender symmetry, asymmetry, and mutual violence in the context of roles (as victims and perpetrators) in IPV. In accordance with past research, the findings show a pattern of gender asymmetry for IPV offences for women generally and across repeat IPV police contacts. Across repeat contacts with the police, the results indicate that the probability of being victimized repeatedly is much greater for females, although there is a significant amount of symmetrical violence, gauged by similar levels of victim and offender role counts, and mutual violence in the histories of females. In addition, as the number of associated events increases, a greater proportion of females have perpetrator role associations in their histories. The results indicate that in the context of mutual violence, females are likely to have a small number (i.e., one) of perpetrator roles within a history of victimization.

In-vivo 3-dimensional spine and lower body gait symmetry analysis in healthy individuals

BackgroundNumerous research studies have delved into the biomechanics of walking, focusing on the spine and lower extremities. However, understanding the symmetry of walking in individuals without health issues poses a challenge, as those with normal mobility may exhibit uneven movement patterns due to inherent functional differences between their left and right limbs. The goal of this study is to examine the three-dimensional kinematics of gait symmetry in the spine and lower body during both typical and brisk overground walking in healthy individuals. The analysis will utilize statistical methods and symmetry index approaches. Furthermore, the research aims to investigate whether factors such as gender and walking speed influence gait symmetry. MethodsSixty young adults in good health, comprising 30 males and 30 females, underwent motion capture recordings while engaging in both normal and fast overground walking. The analysis focused on interlimb comparisons and corresponding assessments of side-specific spine and pelvis motions. ResultsStatistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) predominantly revealed gait symmetries between corresponding left and right motions in the spine, pelvis, hip, knee, and ankle during both normal and fast overground walking. Notably, both genders exhibited asymmetric pelvis left-right obliquity, with women and men showing an average degree of asymmetry between sides of 0.9 ± 0.1° and 1.5 ± 0.1°, respectively. Furthermore, the analysis suggested that neither sex nor walking speed appeared to exert influence on the 3D kinematic symmetry of the spine, pelvis, and lower body in healthy individuals during gait. While the maximum normalized symmetry index (SInorm) values for the lower thorax, upper lumbar, lower lumbar, pelvis, hip, knee, and ankle displayed significant differences between sexes and walking speeds for specific motions, no interaction between sex and walking speed was observed. SignificanceThe findings underscore the potential disparities in data interpretations between the two approaches. While SPM discerns temporal variations in movement, these results offer valuable insights that may enhance our comprehension of gait symmetry in healthy individuals, surpassing the limitations of straightforward discrete parameters like the maximum SInorm. The information gleaned from this study could serve as reference indicators for diagnosing and evaluating abnormal gait function.

Cyber Dating Abuse: Conceptualization and Meta-analysis of Prevalence Rates

In this study, a systematic review was carried out with the aim of analyzing the terms, definitions, dimensions, and prevalence rates of cyber dating abuse (CDA). After the analysis, the term cyber dating abuse is considered as the most appropriate and a complete definition of the construct is provided, along with the related dimensions. In order to synthesize the victimization prevalence rates of CDA, a meta-analysis of 16 studies was also carried out, including 14,235 participants, based on most suitable and most commonly used instrument for CDA measurement. This meta-analysis indicated an estimated global prevalence of CDA victimization of 47%, the prevalence for the control dimension being 63%, while for direct psychological aggression it was 24%. The results hardly showed differences between male and female victimization, which would support gender symmetry. Despite some limitations, this bibliographic and meta-analytic review sheds light on the field of CDA.

Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Facial Artery in the Nasolabial Fold for Gender Differences and Symmetry Between Hemifaces.

The aim of this study was to establish the relationship of facial artery with nasolabial fold by color Doppler sonography and to determine facial artery variations and their relationship with age, gender, or hemifaces. The study included 188 patients (94 women, 94 men) aged 18-60 years. Overall, 376 facial arteries in both hemifaces were evaluated for the course within nasolabial fold, symmetry, and relationship with gender. The mean age of the patients was 39.29 ± 12.81 years. Type A (55.7%) was the most common type in both hemifaces. There was no significant relationship between the course of facial artery and age (P > .05). Asymmetrical course of facial artery was more common in females (54.3%). In both genders, type A was the type with highest symmetry detected. Nasolabial fold is one of the important facial regions for filler injection. To prevent vascular injection, course of facial artery should be identified within the nasolabial fold. Type A was the most common type in both hemifaces and genders. Although the rates were close to each other, asymmetry in the course of the facial artery was observed in most of the patients. Ultrasonographic examination which is non-invasive and non-ionizing imaging method can be performed carefully before filler injection to determine vascular tissues.

Family migration in China: A longitudinal analysis of couples' migration behaviour

AbstractThis article addresses internal migration behaviour in the context of two‐gender‐couple households in contemporary China. Against the backdrop of increasing female education in a society where ideals in the gendered division of labour prevail, this study assesses the role of partners' education in regards to a couple's migration behaviour. Considering education to be a key resource in a couple's negotiations, we test hypotheses on gender symmetry and asymmetry of a partner's resources with regard to a couple's relocation. Additionally, we assess how the role of partners' resources varies across populations with rural and urban backgrounds, and acknowledge persistent barriers to migration due to household registration policies (Hukou) and the associated disadvantages faced by rural migrants and their children. For our analyses, we deploy longitudinal couple‐dyadic data from the China Family Panel Studies (2010–2018) and estimate couples' inter‐county moves using discrete‐time event history models. Our results suggest that couple relocations are associated with higher levels of the male partner's education, and not with the female partner's education. We do not find that partners' gender ideology moderates these associations. The role of the male partner's education was found to be more relevant in couples' relocations for those with an agricultural household registration. Our research contributes importantly to debates on persistent gender inequality and urban–rural divides in China, and how these factors permeate migration behaviour.

Gender symmetry: A systematic review of men’s experiences of intimate partner violence during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health concern. However, men’s experiences of IPV have been largely neglected in previous studies. This systematic review aimed to examine men’s experiences of IPV during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Six online bibliographic databases were used to identify relevant published peer-reviewed journal articles and gray literature. A total of 19 journal articles and gray literature that examined the prevalence, types, and consequences of violence experienced by men during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown were extracted for review. This systematic review is anchored on the gender symmetry theory developed by Straus and Gelles. Expectedly, females were the major victims of IPV cases, but a significant number of men around the world also experienced IPV during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. This finding suggests that evidence-based approaches that also recognize men as victims of IPV should be taken into account for minimizing such cases.

Sociocultural Factors and Offending Among a Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Hispanic Men and Women: A Sex-Specific Analysis

There is limited research on how sociocultural factors may relate to offending for adult Hispanic persons by gender. Using a nationally representative sample of U.S. Hispanic men and women, we used sex-specific models to examine the relationships of sociocultural factors (i.e., discrimination, acculturation, and ethnic identity) with offending and their respective moderating effects. Acculturation and discrimination were positively associated with violent and non-violent offending among men and women, with the effects largely invariant. Ethnic identity was only salient for women and non-violent offending. Acculturation contextualized discrimination for men at higher levels of non-violent offending, albeit no other interactions were notably significant. These are situated using discourse surrounding Hispanic gender norms and symmetry, and the importance of future research.

Perpetration of violence in dating relationships among Israeli college students: gender differences, personal and interpersonal risk factors

ABSTRACT This study investigated dating violence (DV) among Israeli college students, focusing on gender differences and personal and interpersonal risk factors. We examined the perpetration prevalence of physical assault and psychological aggression and compared the risk factors among four possible perpetrator – victim groups: male-only DV; female-only DV, bidirectional DV; and no DV. We explored whether the association between personal risk factors and perpetration is mediated by interpersonal risk factors and moderated by students’ gender in a sample of 1,037 Israeli students who completed self-report questionnaires. Chi-square and One-way ANOVA tests, Pearson’s correlations, and multiple regressions within PROCESS macro were used to analyze the data. We found no gender differences in the perpetration rate of physical assault or psychological aggression. In addition, we found no differences in the risk factors between the male-only DV group and the female-only DV group. However, we found direct associations between personal risk factors and perpetration of physical assault; direct associations between interpersonal risk factors and psychological aggression; and no substantial moderation of gender within the indirect associations. Results largely supported the “gender symmetry” paradigm in the perpetration of DV among Israeli college students, with differential role of personal and interpersonal risk factors in physical assault and psychological aggression.

Gender Directionality of Intimate Partner Violence and Relationship Quality Among Chinese Couples.

Gender symmetry is a long-standing controversy in intimate partner violence (IPV) research. This study explored the gender directionality of IPV and differences in the quality of relationships between different dyadic patterns. IPV experiences and relationship quality of 371 heterosexual couples were examined. Results indicate that females reported more IPV perpetration than males. Generally, the male-only IPV and bidirectional IPV couples showed lower levels of relationship quality compared with female-only IPV and no-IPV couples. Future studies should realize that different dyadic types of IPV may have different mechanisms and consequences, and more attention should be paid to gender directionality.

Evidence of Gender Asymmetry in Intimate Partner Violence Experience at the Population-Level.

Claims of "gender symmetry" in intimate partner violence (IPV) prevalence are contested, with resolution of the issue complicated by methodological and measurement challenges. This study explores gendered differences in the distribution of IPV exposure at the population-level, considering multiple types of IPV exposure. The subjects comprised of 1,431 ever-partnered women and 1,355 ever-partnered men. Data from a nationally representative population-based cross-sectional survey were used to compare men and women's IPV experiences. Twenty-three IPV acts were assessed across IPV types (moderate physical, severe physical, sexual, psychological, controlling behaviors, economic). Proportions were presented by gender for the number of individual IPV acts experienced per IPV type, and the frequency of these acts (none, once, few times, or many times). A composite exposure score was developed to assess the number of acts and their frequency within types by comparing scores in tertiles and across types by correlations. Women reported greater overall prevalence of 20 of the 23 individual IPV acts assessed. Across all assessed acts, women comprised a substantially greater proportion of those who reported experiencing individual acts "many times." Women experienced more severe and more frequent IPV than men based on self-reported experience of IPV acts, and by the frequency with which acts were experienced. Significant differences between men and women's exposure scores were observed for all six assessed types, with greater proportions of women scoring in the upper tertiles. This study provides evidence of gender asymmetry in experiences of IPV at the population level. While men do experience IPV victimization, there remains need for directed and substantial resource allocation for intervention and therapeutic responses to women's exposure to IPV, and for primary prevention with men. Going forward, IPV measurement tools that consider frequency, severity, or co-occurring types of IPV are needed.

Violência digital no namoro entre adolescentes: uma inserção ecológica

Abstract Objectives: to investigate digital dating violence among adolescents. Methods: qualitative research, applying the ecological engagement methodology, carried out in a non-governmental organization. The final sample consisted of eight male and female adolescents, aged between 16 and 19 years old. Data were analysed according to Content Analysis technique, with triangulation of instruments and technique: biosociodemographic questionnaire; field notes; semi-structured interview; questionnaire “Knowing Dating Relationships”. Results: digital violence was frequent and naturalized in dating; despite mutual violence, bidirectionality in dating violence did not mean gender symmetry; the pandemic was linked to the daily increase in Internet use via mobile phones, but it did not increase dating violence. Impulsivity was used in attempts to resolve conflicts in dating, associated not only with adolescence, but also with the increasing digitization and acceleration of relationships within our society. Adolescents were direct and/or indirect victims of violence in their main development microsystems (family, school and neighborhood), simultaneously exposed to different types of violence, since childhood. Conclusions: the digital microsystem can be seen as another context for the perpetration and victimization of violence. Preventive actions should consider the various expressions of violence (physical, psychological, sexual and digital) and their repercussions for physical and mental health.

CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN INDONESIAN ONLINE NEWS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The article concerns a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of women as subjects of violence in Indonesia during the current Corona Virus 19 (COVID19) pandemic. Through the framework of critical discourse analysis, it aims to determine how news online presents an overview and perspectives on the problem of women who experience intimate partner violence during the current pandemic. The research design chosen is qualitative research with the tools of content analysis. Critical discourse analysis describes the language employed to convey meaning in the content of BBC news online. While the BBC's online news online highlighted the existence of gender symmetry and stereotype abusers throughout the epidemic experienced by women, the BBC's online news online was able and daring enough to highlight the marginalization of women.

Age-Based Mixing and Condom Use Patterns in Opposite-Sex Adult Partnerships in Hong Kong.

Background Age-based sexual mixing data can guide design and implementation of sexually transmitted infection (STI) control interventions. It can also inform the parameterization of mathematical models of HIV and STI transmission. Data on mixing in heterosexual adults are uncommon, particularly in East Asian regions. Methods In June 2020, egocentric network data collected from sexually active adults in Hong Kong 18 or years participating in an online, population-based survey were used to assess age-dependent contacts and condom use patterns. Age-based mixing matrices of heterosexual partnerships were constructed separately according to sex and partnership type. Results Data from 1090 partnerships indicated highly assortative mixing among regular partners. Casual and commercial partners had larger age discrepancies, with both men and women reporting partners of the same age or younger age group. Regarding condom use, older age groups of both sexes reported less consistent use with all partner types. Particularly inconsistent use was noted in combinations of older men with younger casual/commercial female partners. Conclusions Our findings provide novel insights potentially useful for forming sexual health and STI control policy. First, the disassortative nature of casual and commercial partnerships in both men and women suggests that they may be a mechanism for the seeding of younger generations and therefore a target of health interventions. Second, health communications may wish to target older men in particular given their higher tendency to condomless sex with casual and commercial female partners in the youngest—and therefore most susceptible—age groups, indicating a lack of the sex symmetry that was observed in regular partnerships.

Mother–Father Parity in Work–Family Conflict? The Importance of Selection Effects and Nonresponse Bias

AbstractDo mothers experience worse work–family conflicts compared with fathers? Yes, according to trenchant and influential qualitative studies that illuminate mothers’ deeply felt problems from work demands that intrude into family life. No, suggest studies employing representative samples of employed parents that show mothers’ and fathers’ have similar work-to-family conflict. We assess these paradoxical depictions of parents’ lives using panel data from the national Canadian Work, Stress and Health study (2011–2019). We argue that comparable reports from men and women are misleading because they overlook mothers’ adjustment of work hours in the face of high conflict. As evidence, we reveal a gender suppression effect whereby mothers report higher conflict than fathers when adjusting for work hours in the baseline sample. Next, we show that mothers are more likely to leave paid work because of conflict. In fact, they are three times more likely than fathers to leave because of conflict’s focal predictor—having young children. These findings reflect mothers’ adjustment to the conflict they might already experience or anticipate. We use pooled person-year data and fixed-effects regression with logit specification to estimate the hazard of not working at the next wave by gender. We underscore the selection of some mothers into surveys or subsequent waves because it excludes those who systematically dropped out due to higher conflict and its primary predictor of having young children. We argue the observed “gender symmetry” of conflict is an artifact and illustrate the importance of theorizing stress processes over time to understand contradictory work–family conflict scholarship.

Cone-beam computed tomographic analysis of root canal morphology of permanent mandibular incisors - Prevalence and related factors.

Objectives:To investigate the prevalence of additional canals and the occurrence of oval canals in apical third area of mandibular permanent incisors of Saudi sub-population.Methods:This study was conducted from November 2020 to May 2021 at College of Dentistry, Qassim University. For the investigation purpose of this study, 314 scans were analyzed within the age limits of 13 to 70 years. The root canal morphology, presence of oval canals, number of roots, and prevalence of various canal configurations based on age, gender and bilateral symmetry were recorded. The obtained data was statistically analyzed using SPSS software.Results:The mandibular central incisors (CI) exhibited, significant difference between Type-I, II, III and IV canal configurations and Type-I, II, III and V canal configurations (p < 0.05). For the mandibular lateral incisor (LI), significant difference was found between Type-I, II, III, IV and VII canal configurations (p < 0.05). The cumulative prevalence of oval canals in mandibular incisors was found to be 46.6%. For both mandibular CI and LI, the prevalence of Type-I canals was significantly higher in males as compared to females (p < 0.05). Conversely, significantly higher prevalence of Type-III canals was noted for females as compared to males (p < 0.05). No significant difference was found in the prevalence of different canal configurations on the left and the right side of the mouth.Conclusion:In this study, multiple canals were prominently recognized with Type-III mandibular incisors dominating this feature. Oval canals were predominantly found in single canal especially Type-III. This research suggests variability in canal morphology among different populations. Knowledge of these aberrant canal anatomies is useful for the clinician to achieve a favorable endodontic outcome.

La violence conjugale en population estudiantine : y a-t-il une symétrie de genre ?

ObjectiveThe objective of this descriptive study was twofold. First, to examine, for the first time, some psychometric properties of the French version of the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2), assessing intimate partner violence (IPV), and second, to explore the gender symmetry in IPV among young female students (n=1856). MethodBoth versions of the CTS2, the CTS2-Victimization and the CTS2-Perpetration, were administered to a sample of female students (n=1856). ResultsOur results confirmed the validity of the initial factor structure of the CTS2, and showed the good reliability of its scores. Also, our results revealed that: (a) gender symmetry concerned psychological and physical violence: female students reported perpetrating this violence more than experiencing it, and (b) gender asymmetry concerned sexual violence and violence causing injuries: female students reported experiencing this violence more than perpetrating it. ConclusionThis research provides an insight into a poorly documented, if not ignored, phenomenon. And the extent of some IPV allows recommending the implementation of awareness campaigns against IPV in high schools and campuses as often as possible.

Gendered health, economic, social and safety impact of COVID-19 on adolescents and young adults in Nairobi, Kenya.

BackgroundInfectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19 and their mitigation measures can exacerbate underlying gender disparities, particularly among adolescents and young adults in densely populated urban settings.MethodsAn existing cohort of youth ages 16–26 in Nairobi, Kenya completed a phone-based survey in August-October 2020 (n = 1217), supplemented by virtual focus group discussions and interviews with youth and stakeholders, to examine economic, health, social, and safety experiences during COVID-19, and gender disparities therein.ResultsCOVID-19 risk perception was high with a gender differential favoring young women (95.5% vs. 84.2%; p<0.001); youth described mixed concern and challenges to prevention. During COVID-19, gender symmetry was observed in constrained access to contraception among contraceptive users (40.4% men; 34.6% women) and depressive symptoms (21.8% men; 24.3% women). Gender disparities rendered young women disproportionately unable to meet basic economic needs (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.21; p<0.05) and in need of healthcare during the pandemic (aOR = 1.59; p<0.001). At a bivariate level, women had lower full decisional control to leave the house (40.0% vs. 53.2%) and less consistent access to safe, private internet (26.1% vs. 40.2%), while men disproportionately experienced police interactions (60.1%, 55.2% of which included extortion). Gender-specific concerns for women included menstrual hygiene access challenges (52.0%), increased reliance on transactional partnerships, and gender-based violence, with 17.3% reporting past-year partner violence and 3.0% non-partner sexual violence. Qualitative results contextualize the mental health impact of economic disruption and isolation, and, among young women, privacy constraints.ImplicationsYouth and young adults face gendered impacts of COVID-19, reflecting both underlying disparities and the pandemic’s economic and social shock. Economic, health and technology-based supports must ensure equitable access for young women. Gender-responsive recovery efforts are necessary and must address the unique needs of youth.

The gender symmetry problem in physical teen dating violence: A commentary and suggestions for a research agenda.

Dating violence is a serious manifestation of harmful behaviour during adolescence. During the past decades, considerable research has shed light on patterns, causes, and consequences of dating violence. One of the most notable findings emerging from widely used survey instruments is that female adolescents report perpetrating physical dating violence more or equally frequently as male adolescents. Similarly, male youth appear to equally frequently report that they have been victims of physical dating violence as female adolescents. This commentary reviews issues emerging from the debate on gender symmetry in dating violence and proposes directions for future research. It suggests that future research needs to consider three interrelated issues to advance the field, namely: to improve the understanding of differences in harm, advance the knowledge of gender differences in the short-term dynamics involved in conflict and aggression, and strengthen the evidence base on shared and gender-specific developmental aetiologies of dating violence.

A qualitative study to investigate male victims' experiences of female-perpetrated domestic abuse in Jordan.

Battered husband syndrome has not been investigated in an Arab context, despite evidence of a significant increase in violence against men by women. This study investigated male victims’ experiences of female-perpetrated domestic abuse in Jordan using a qualitative exploratory descriptive approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 33 married men from Amman and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Five themes were identified: 1. causes of domestic abuse against men; 2. types of domestic abuse against men; 3. effects of domestic abuse against men; 4. men’s perception of reducing or stopping abuse by their wives; and 5. abusive wives’ characteristics. Participants experienced psychological, emotional and verbal abuse, coercive control, emotional neglect, and physical violence with varying degrees of severity, which affected both them and their families. Abusive wives used numerous tactics, including sex, children, isolation, and money to enable abuse. Moreover, clan and traditional thinking, societal structures, and norms led participants to divorce, stay in an abusive relationship, or use violence against their wives. The leading causes of abuse against the husband were wives’ neglecting the house, children, appearance, and personal hygiene; wasting money; wives’ family interfering in the couple’s private marital affairs; the wife’s betrayal; and traditional thinking. New perspectives toward domestic abuse in Jordan need to be developed to help us better understand the nature of abuse against men, provide resources and support for them, reduce the prevalence of domestic abuse, and protect Jordanian families.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-01905-2.