Patriarchal Beliefs Research Articles

Exploring the Complexities of Dating Violence in Indonesia: Understanding Dynamics, Norms, and Strategies for Prevention

Dating violence is still being a pervasive issue globally, affecting the health and rights of millions young individuals. Despite its prevalence, dating violence often receives less attention compared to domestic violence. This study delves into the complexities of dating violence in Indonesia, employing a mixed methods design to propose strategies for prevention and intervention. The research utilized qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods to comprehensively understand the phenomena under study. Using a thorough analysis, the research underscores the entrenched power dynamics and cultural norms that perpetuate gender-based violence. It also examined the role of gender norms in shaping attitudes towards intimate partner abuse, highlighting the influence of patriarchal beliefs, and hegemonic masculinity. Furthermore, the study evaluates the effectiveness of existing legal frameworks in combating dating violence, noting challenges related to implementation, and gender biases. In proposing solutions, the research emphasized the importance of empowerment initiatives for women and community development efforts to challenge harmful stereotypes and foster societal change. By addressing these multifaceted issues, this study contributes to the broader discourse on dating violence prevention and underscores the urgency of comprehensive interventions in Indonesia and beyond.

Men's Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors and Conformity to Masculine Norms: A Person-Centered, Latent Profile Approach

BackgroundMen are up to four times more likely to die by suicide than women. At the same time, men are less likely to disclose suicidal ideation and transition more rapidly from ideation to attempt. Recently, socialized gender norms and particularly conformity to masculine norms (CMN) have been discussed as driving factors for men’s increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). This study aims to examine the individual interplay between CMN dimensions and their association with depression symptoms, help-seeking, and STBs. MethodsUsing data from an anonymous online survey of 488 cisgender men, latent profile analysis was performed to identify CMN subgroups. Multigroup comparisons and hierarchical regression analyses were used to estimate differences in sociodemographic characteristics, depression symptoms, psychotherapy use, and STBs. ResultsThree latent CMN subgroups were identified: Egalitarians (58.6%; characterized by overall low CMN), Players (16.0%; characterized by patriarchal beliefs, endorsement of sexual promiscuity, and heterosexual self-presentation), and Stoics (25.4%; characterized by restrictive emotionality, self-reliance, and engagement in risky behavior). Stoics showed a 2.32 times higher risk for a lifetime suicide attempt, younger age, stronger somatization of depression symptoms, and stronger unbearability beliefs. ConclusionThe interplay between the CMN dimensions restrictive emotionality, self-reliance, and willingness to engage in risky behavior, paired with suicidal beliefs about the unbearability of emotional pain, may create a suicidogenic psychosocial system. Acknowledging this high-risk subgroup of men conforming to restrictive masculine norms may aid the development of tailored intervention programs, ultimately mitigating the risk for a suicide attempt.

Violence and Gender Conflicts in Ian McEwan’s novel The Comfort of Strangers

This essay examines the themes of violence and gender conflicts in Ian McEwan's The Comfort of Strangers, emphasising how conventional gender roles and power dynamics add to the unnerving atmosphere of the novel. The novel, which takes place in an unfamiliar and enigmatic city, centres on two couples: Robert and Caroline and Colin and Mary, whose interactions highlight the damaging effects of patriarchal norms. Robert, a character in the novel who represents the dehumanising impacts of inflexible gender standards by his cruel actions towards Caroline, serves as a critique of toxic masculinity. The novel's depictions of psychological and physical violence highlight the risks associated with relationships in which power is unequally divided. How McEwan depicts victimisation and complicity in love relationships provides a disturbing critique of the social institutions that support and condone gender-based violence. In the end, the essay makes the case that the novel is a potent indictment of how patriarchal beliefs influence and frequently twist interpersonal relationships.

Empowerment and Nation-Building: Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar's Perspectives on Women in Post-Independence India

This paper explores Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar’s perspectives on women's empowerment in post-independence India, emphasizing their role in nation-building. Despite the constitutional provisions that promote gender equality and women’s rights, women remain excluded from significant spheres of social, economic, and political life. Golwalkar, a prominent thinker and leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), viewed women's empowerment as essential to societal progress. He emphasized women's roles within the family, society, and organized institutions, highlighting their potential to foster national pride and serve the greater good. Golwalkar believed in empowering women not through self-indulgence but by encouraging their contribution to society, aligning with traditional Indian values. However, his views on women were limited by patriarchal beliefs, often restricting their roles to the domestic sphere and promoting chastity and celibacy. While his ideology aimed to spiritually uplift society, it also faced criticism for being reactionary and irrelevant to modern liberal democracy. The paper critically examines these views, presenting a nuanced understanding of Golwalkar’s legacy in shaping the discourse on women and empowerment in India.

Young Women’s Political Participation and Gender Depoliticization in Nigeria

Since return to Nigeria to civilian administration in 1999, women have been making efforts to access political leadership space with little progress. With international and national instruments to ensure more women gain inroad into politics, there is a dismal record in this aspect. Anchoring the paper on theory of political participation, the paper explored the possibility of gender depoliticisation through the involvement of young women in politics. Desk research method which utilised secondary sources of data collection was employed. The paper argued that in spite of the fact that young women are involved in activism,they are grossly underrepresented in political leadership. Culture, political acrimony, stigmatisation, religion, lack of finance, political violence, etc., constitute barriers to young women representation in politics. The paper contended that there is always political inequality between women and men, particularly among the youngest generations. The paper concluded that young women are at risk of not being included and favourably considered in the decision making process, as non-participation in politics poses a threat to their gender's dignified existence in the body polity. It recommended that socio-economic barriers including culture, religion, patriarchal belief, political acrimony, insecurity, etc., should be addressed. Empowerment should start from the family to re-orientate on the social barriers affecting young women participation in leadership positions. Girl-child education needs prioritisation to develop potentials, particularly contribution in decision making process at all levels of governance, among others.

Gender inequalities: Understanding gender identity and changing trends

The relevance of the subject under consideration is due to the presence of a wide range of issues that are rarely interrelated, as well as the blurring of the concepts of personal and gender identity. This study examines gender identity and its implica-tions for gender inequalities. The purpose of this study is to explore the concept of gender identity and its modern trends of change, with a focus on how they relate to gender inequalities and sustainable development in the context of Kazakhstan. The tasks involve identifying and considering issues related to gender identity, de-veloping an original approach to understanding personal identity, tracking and an-alysing how concepts and views on gender identity are currently changing, and evaluating the ideas of young men and women about issues of gender identity. It was revealed that for a long time the identity of the individual was studied thanks to three conceptual approaches; current trends indicate that identity is changeable, not permanent; two-thirds of the men surveyed hold patriarchal beliefs regarding the family sphere; all the interviewed girls have egalitarian beliefs regarding the role of women in the development of society, career growth, leadership, leadership and much more. The results obtained shed light on the persistence of gender stere-otypes and inequalities in Kazakh society, which have implications for sustainable development.

The gendered plate: gender-specific food perceptions and sport sponsorship

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the relationship between food sponsorships and gender stereotypes, focusing on how patriarchal beliefs influence consumers’ purchase intentions in sports.Design/methodology/approachThe research comprised two studies. In Study 1, n = 161 participants participated via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform. Study 2 involved n = 250 participants who completed a cross-sectional and self-administered survey.FindingsStudy 1 indicated an apparent gender-based categorization of certain foods and beverages: beer and red meat were predominantly perceived as masculine, while yogurt, salads, and wine were seen as feminine. Further, brands like Budweiser and Red Bull were mainly seen as masculine, while Chobani and Smoothie King were perceived as feminine. Moreover, findings indicate that foods, especially those rich in protein or linked to BBQ and spicy tastes, are considered more masculine by men than women in sports settings. Further, Study 2 findings unveiled a significant relationship between patriarchal beliefs and both attitudes (ß = 0.327, p < 0.01) and subjective norms (ß = 0.525, p < 0.01) towards masculine brands.Originality/valueThe two studies’ results underscore the profound impact of gender stereotypes shaping sports fans’ perceptions of food items and the brands sponsoring them. This inquiry significantly augments the current understanding of the nuanced interrelation between the paradigms of social role theory and the theory of planned behavior, particularly within the ambit of sports-related sponsorship by food and beverage brands and its consequent influence on consumer purchasing inclinations.

Gender stereotypes, patriarchal beliefs, and normative generics: A survey-based measure of what Polish parents communicate in norm-breaching scenarios involving children

Normative generics, which are statements that can be seen as reflecting the social world, can be powerful tools by which parents convey norms to children. In this article, we explored how two interrelated issues, the perceived salience of gender stereotypes and the socially constructed system of patriarchy, could affect what parents communicate in the context of parent–child interactions that concern the breaching of a salient gender norm. By analyzing data from two perception studies, we found that some norms pertaining to hair length or table manners triggered a more frequent use of normative generics than other norms and that the individuals who espoused traditional gender values tended to prefer one mode of norm responsiveness (i.e., norm-following) and used more normative generics than those espousing nontraditional gender norms. In this way, the study contributed to our understanding of how rules of behavior shared by members of a given group, as well as beliefs in a system of hierarchical power, might favor the use of normative generics.

Is gender equality in brain damage ‘progress’ for women and sport?

This commentary sits within a context of growing cultural concern over brain damage that occurs in many of the Western world's most popular, profitable and prized sports. After laying out evidence demonstrating this point, we discuss the increasing inclusion of women within sports which involve regular and routinised brain injuries. We problematise this apparent ‘progress’ with the title of our commentary. In particular, rather than offering some simplified yes/no answer, we argue that in light of the five decades of social scientific scholarship documenting the various harms produced by performance impact sports, working towards gender equality in brain damage is a nonsensical outcome. So, while there is clear evidence from academic gender studies that progress has been made towards tackling issues of exclusion and various forms of discrimination against women and girls in performance sport spaces, there has not been concomitant progress made in tackling the ways bodies and brains are often broken down, damaged and sometimes destroyed during participation in such sports. We do not suggest that consenting adults should be prohibited from enjoying impact sports and our aim with this commentary is not driven by a paternalistic, patriarchal belief which reflects historical notions around sportswomen being the ‘fairer’ sex, nor that responses to sport-acquired brain injury should be sex- or gender-specific. Rather, we conclude by suggesting that the emerging science on sport-acquired brain injuries should serve as an important inflection point to those leaders, organisers, practitioners and scholars working in this area to reconsider how we imagine, promote and structure sport – for everyone.

A global study into Indian women's experiences of domestic violence and control: the role of patriarchal beliefs.

Domestic violence (DV) is a serious and preventable human rights issue that disproportionately affects certain groups of people, including Indian women. Feminist theory suggests that patriarchal ideologies produce an entitlement in male perpetrators of DV; however, this has not been examined in the context of women from the Indian subcontinent. This study examined Indian women's experiences of abuse (physical, sexual, and psychological) and controlling behavior across 31 countries by examining the relationship between the patriarchal beliefs held by the women's partners and the women's experience of DV. This study uses an intersectional feminist framework to examine the variables. Data from an online questionnaire was collected from 825 Indian women aged between 18 and 77 years (M = 35.64, SD = 8.71) living in 31 countries across Asia (37.1%), Europe (18.3%), Oceania (23.8%), the Americas (16.1%) and Africa (3.2%) and analyzed using a hierarchical linear regression. A majority of participants (72.5%) had experienced at least one form of abuse during their relationship, and over a third (35.1%) had experienced controlling behavior. In support of the central hypotheses, after controlling for potential confounders, women whose partners showed greater endorsement of patriarchal beliefs were less likely to have access to freedom during their relationship (ß = -0.38, p < 0.001) and were more likely to have been abused by their partner or a member of his family (ß = 0.34, p < 0.001). The findings of this study highlight the need to engage with men in Indian communities through culturally-tailored intervention strategies designed to challenge the patriarchal ideologies that propagate, justify, and excuse DV.

Predictors of Rape Myth Acceptance Among South Asian Students in Canada.

Transmission of rape myths is expected in every culture, yet limited research exists on rape myth acceptance (RMA) within global South Asian (SA) diasporas. We examined whether gender, attitudes toward gender roles, and patriarchal beliefs contributed to RMA among young SA adults in Canada. An ethnically diverse sample of 116 (ages 17-25) students, comprising equal numbers of men and women and domestic and international students, completed an online survey. SA students were generally egalitarian with low RMA similar to the majority of North American samples. As predicted, male gender, traditional attitudes towards SA women, and patriarchal beliefs were strong predictors of RMA.

Not a Fairy Tale at All! Examining the Factors Underlying the Myths About Domestic Violence Among Romanian, Highly Educated Adults

ABSTRACT The myths about domestic violence refer to the false, stereotypical beliefs aimed to minimize, deny, or justify the aggression. The present research explored the factors underlying the myths about domestic violence using a socio-cognitive perspective. In a sample of 364 Romanian adults with a university degree, aged 19 to 75 (M = 36.46, SD = 10.97, 79.9% females), we explored how sexism, patriarchal beliefs, moral disengagement, and the Dark Triad traits might predict participants’ views on domestic violence. Regression analyses suggested that, in the male sample, the only predictor for the acceptance of the myths regarding domestic violence was moral disengagement, and the model accounted for more than 50% of the variance of the dependent variable. In the female sample, the strongest predictor was hostile sexism, and the model accounted for more than 40% of the variance of the acceptance of the myths regarding domestic violence. We discuss our results focusing on the practical implications of people’s beliefs about domestic violence and the importance of examining the underlying personal and cultural factors.

Emotive language as construction of situational aggression among drivers at gridlock scenes in Nigeria

This paper 1investigates the use of emotive language in the construction of situational aggression among drivers in gridlock scenes along the failed Calabar-Uyo highway, in Southern Nigeria. Data were derived through participants’ observations, informal interactions and semi-structured interviews in an eight-month fieldwork involving 26 drivers who formed the representative sample. Insights from Frustration-Aggression and Conceptual Act Theories were utilised to account for how emotive language instantiate displaced aggression. Findings show that the emotive cues used by drivers were principally informed by the bad road which occurred as a result of failed leadership and endemic corruption, and other cues used to exemplify inferiorisation of women, driving incompetence, superiority complex and economic hardship. The exchanges are combined to situate the collective excruciating experience of drivers and a protest against Nigerian political establishment. The emotive language impliedly re-enacts participants’ patriarchal beliefs, driving attitudes, multilingual identities and myriad of challenges that describe the Nigerian sociocultural context.

A “Dark Side” of religion? Associations between religious involvement, identity and domestic violence determinants in Australia

AbstractThis study investigates associations between religious involvement and identity and attitudes related to domestic violence using nationally representative cross‐sectional data from n = 1287 Australian adults in the 2018 Australian Survey of Social Attitudes (AuSSA). Linear regression models were used to analyse the association between religious involvement (frequency of service attendance and prayer) and identity (religious, spiritual or both) with attitudes related to domestic violence (patriarchal beliefs, failure to acknowledge domestic violence as an issue and trust in faith leaders' responses to domestic violence). Results showed that religious service attendance, frequency of prayer and spiritual/religious identity were associated with more patriarchal beliefs about gender roles. There was no evidence that religious involvement or identity was associated with failure to acknowledge domestic violence as a national issue. In contrast, frequent (but not infrequent) religious involvement and religious identity were associated with failure to acknowledge domestic violence in participants' own faith communities. Addressing patriarchal beliefs and acknowledgement of domestic violence within faith communities among those who regularly attend services, pray and identify as religious are key targets for action to address domestic violence and improve population health.

A Qualitative Study of Sexual Violence and Attribution of Responsibility in Georgian Youth

Background: Sexual violence is a complex and pressing social issue that needs urgent solutions. Republic of Georgia is one of those countries where despite some advancements in law and practice, patriarchal beliefs and behaviour patterns still prevail in a daily life. So far, there has not been undertaken an in-depth study on how Georgians and particularly youth, define sexual violence and what are the justifications behind these views. The aim of the research is to understand how Georgian students understand sexual violence, who they think are responsible for sexual violence and what are the underlying reasons behind those views. Method: In total, 37 in-depth interviews have been conducted with Georgian students, from September of 2019 to March of 2021. The study participants were recruited from different universities, including the two biggest cities of Georgia - Tbilisi and Batumi. Results: The research revealed that understanding of sexual violence is far more complex than it was expected. Georgian students define sexual violence as a broad category where sexual harassment and sexual coercion have overlapping and at the same time independent meaning. Interpretation and attribution of responsibility in all three categories are dependent on situations and context that contain not only physical violence but also inappropriate touch, insistent gaze, comments about body parts, sexist insults and discrimination, messages of sexual content, psychological pressure and blackmailing. Attribution of responsibility was equally dependent on personal judgements as well as culturally determined stereotypes. Conclusion: Sexual violence is not a new phenomenon in Georgia, but its consideration as a social problem is. The research demonstrated that understanding and judgment on sexual violence, sexual harassment and sexual coercion is nuanced issue and still needs clear categories of definitions.

The implications of the Madonna/Whore Constellation: A common fantasy underlying misogyny?

AbstractThe Madonna/Whore Constellation of fantasies often underlies well‐recognized and pervasive misogynistic attitudes in our culture. These common and disturbing ideas about women serve to validate continued societal acceptance of the degradation of those people who are identified as female. The author suggests that there is a dynamic connection between the often‐unconscious Madonna/Whore complex of fantasies and consciously recognized misogyny. The author suggests that this set of fantasies is driven, in part, by overwhelming (i.e., traumatic) annihilation anxiety. It is argued in this paper that men who have felt overstimulated by women both emotionally and sexually as they develop are likely to feel helpless, anxious, and powerless in relation to women as adults. To defend against these feelings, some men wish for omnipotent control and place women into the binary, dichotomous categories of Madonna or Whore. These fantasies serve to solidify masculine identity and a male sense of superiority. The author proposes that the prevailing norms in our culture that reflect male supremacy not only reflect shared patriarchal beliefs but also function to justify these particularly dangerous hateful beliefs ‐ as if they were appropriate and even necessary to maintaining superior male status.

Access, participation and socio-economic benefits of blue versus green economy: a systematic literature review

ABSTRACT There are implications to sustainable development from overconsumption of natural resources. Increasingly, economies are running out of resources to sustain or achieve desired growth rates and inclusive growth. As a result, momentum is building on exploring how the blue economy can be used as complimentary resource, particularly as a taping into it as an opportunity of ensuring that the marginalised groups in society are catered for. This is argued to address the ex-ante inequalities in other sectors of the economy, such as the green economy (land and resources on it), where participation by vulnerable groups like women and youth is limited owing to segregation policies of yesteryears, at least in former colonised countries like South Africa. The study used a systematic literature review, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses for Protocols (PRISMA-P) approach to ascertain works on this topic and identify gaps that need to be addressed to adequately inform policy and practice. With regards to access and participation in the blue economy, most studies found that women do have access and participate in the blue economy, however, their participation is limited by barriers such lack of education and credit as well as patriarchal beliefs. Furthermore, women participation in both green and blue economies is determined by social norms, skills attainment, access to credit, age, technology. Most of the reviewed studies concluded that men derived more commercial benefits from green economy, while women derive more subsistence and recreational benefits from the blue economy.

Development and Validation of Patriarchal Beliefs Scale in Pakistani Culture

Present research aimed to develop and validate a conceptually and psychometrically reliable and culturally relevant measure for patriarchal beliefs in Pakistani Culture. Patriarchy imposes preconceptions of male and female behavior, which reinforces the unequal power differences between men and women by giving more importance to men. The items were generated based on literature review and themes that emerged from the interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with experts. The scale was administered on the sample from general population (18-70 years) from all over the Pakistan using convenient sampling. Principal component factor analyses were carried out for scale development. For the final form of the scale, items with factor loadings &gt;.30 on the initial factors for PBS were chosen. Before performing factor analysis, various tests were used to ensure that the data were suitable. Three factors were extracted based on promax rotation. CFA was performed to confirm the factor Structure Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed. Scale was finalized with 37 items comprising 3 factors.

Women’s Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence in Turkey: The Role of Leisure Activities, Religiosity, and Patriarchy

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is an essential social and health problem worldwide and attitudes toward IPV are one of the important factors related to this issue. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to examine the effect of factors including social activities involvement, religiosity, and patriarchal ideology on attitudes toward IPV. Based on literature related to these factors three hypotheses were developed to test by the 2013-Turkey Demographic and Health Survey which includes a sample of 8847 women. Findings from a number of logistic regression models demonstrate that participation in leisure activities decreases the acceptance of IPV. On the contrary, an increase in personal religiosity and women’s patriarchal beliefs enhances the justification of IPV among women. Among social-demographic characteristics, education and household wealth seem to be important factors preventing the approval of IPV. The findings of the study are discussed in the context of the social and cultural background of Turkey.

The Impact of Patriarchy on the Education of Mother-learners: A Phenomenological Study of Three Rural Schools in Namibia

This article investigates some of the constraining factors experienced by 16 school-going mothers in the Okalongo circuit, Namibia. This was a qualitative phenomenological study, conducted through in-depth individual interviews, focus group discussions, and reflective journals with 16 school-going mothers between the ages of 17 and 20, purposively selected from three different public rural schools. This qualitative, phenomenological study analyses, through feminist and intersectionality theory, the lived experiences of these young mothers as they encounter the traditional, patriarchal attitudes and practices of the Ovambadja community because these girls fell pregnant before their formal, cultural initiation. The article documents, through the voices of the young women themselves, the numerous constraints they experienced and overcame in their determination to complete their schooling. The findings show that, aside from the deeply held destructive patriarchal beliefs that significantly constrain and harm the mother-learners, the Namibian Learners Pregnancy Policy, which is intended to protect and ensure pregnant learners and mother-learners complete their schooling, is not being properly or effectively implemented. The study recommends an increase in efforts at the national level in Namibia to raise awareness among members of parliament, school administrators and principals, and all policymakers to develop better monitoring systems that will improve policy implementation in schools.