Significance quest; Understanding the psychology of husband's intimate partner violence towards wives

Abstract Can one be a feminist and a Humean at the same time? That is, can one consistently maintain a feminist politic whilst also endorsing Hume’s Law? Gillian Russell has recently put forward an extended defence of so-called ‘barrier laws’, including Hume’s Law: that one cannot ‘get an ought from an is’. Such a barrier law implies a distinction between the normative and the nonnormative, or between facts and values. However, Russell is also a feminist—she, like many contemporary logicians, is committed to feminism in and beyond logic—and it is a widely held truism amongst many feminist scholars that the fact/value distinction is a pernicious dualism and artefact of patriarchal ideology. It seems that these commitments are in tension. This paper develops this tension, showing that feminists drawn to Humeanism (and vice versa) should be worried about it. The paper then sets out six potential ways to resolve the tension between feminism and Humeanism. Finally it concludes by suggesting that the most attractive position of those surveyed is one that actually involves biting a bullet: giving up on a feminist opposition to dualisms.

The Paper is an anthropological narrative on the ideological imaginary of professional identity, opportunities, and the challenges faced by women teachers in Haldibari Rural Municipality, Jhapa, Nepal. Although not all women teachers have a weak professional identity, mixed-methods approaches such as interviews, focus group discussions, and observations reveal that many women teachers express high levels of professional identity, manifested through both affective and technical competence. In the focus groups, respondents also pointed out that communication skills, tolerance, empathy, creativity, and caring about children are societal notions of female characteristics, based on the belief that these qualities are immutable elements of femininity that represent key teacher professional competencies. While brushing aside an assertion about the theory of emotional labor dependence on women, they pointed out new demands on modern teachers for teamwork across contexts, flexibility, and mental toughness. Women teachers are also affected by the competence and capacities of women teachers. The failure of women teachers to perform well is due to factors such as leadership, training, classroom size, lack of resources, low salaries, and policy neglect. However, the study also shows how patriarchal ideology is internalized, at times even by other women (particularly in leadership roles). Emerging — work and family balance influenced by distance and family obligations.

Semiotics is the study of signs and how meanings are constructed through denotation, connotation, and myth. The research aims to analyze the patriarchal ideology and women's resistance in “Women Talking” (2022) by Sarah Polley. The film depicts the tragic experiences of women in a closed religious’ colony who are victims of systematic sexual violence, as well as facing social pressures and religious doctrine that demands that they forgive the perpetrators. Using qualitative descriptive methods and Roland Barthes' semiotic approach, this study examines the meanings embedded in symbols, dialogues, and scenes that represent the collective consciousness, solidarity, and women's struggle against the patriarchal system. The data analysis consists of four stages: watching the film, identifying the dialogue or scenes into denotative, connotative, and myth, then analysing, and finally drawing a conclusion. As a result, there are ten dialogues and scenes that were analyzed using Barthes’ semiotics. In conclusion, this film showed how meaning operates on denotative, connotative, and mythical levels to expose and resist patriarchal ideology.

This paper explores women’s oppression and forced silence in patriarchal societies across different regions and socio-cultural aspects as portrayed in Mahasweta Devi’s Bayen and Manjula Padmanabhan’s Lights Out. Although the two works are set in contrast spaces - Bayen rooted in rural, tradition-bound society and Lights Out in an urban, modern setting, both underscore the patriarchal ideologies and the marginalization of women within the societies. Bayen analyses villagers’ superstitious beliefs of witch-hunting and the suffering of a woman due to that in the male dominated society. On the other hand, Lights Out examines the exploitation of women in an urban context marked by apathy, sexual violence, and passive spectatorship. This paper focuses on the intersection of violence, silence and patriarchal domination through a feminist perspective, examining how women are subjected as victims of violence and silence by the male communities. It also underscores the patriarchal domination from traditional to contemporary spaces, presenting how superstitious believes, social inequality and cultural complicity sustain gendered violence. Furthermore, the study draws attention to the construction of female silence, the erasure of agency, and the complexities of their lived realities. Finally, this analysis argues for the urgent necessity to challenge cultural practices and societal complicity that perpetuate the subjugation of women across time and space.

Patriarchal ideology, as a deep-rooted social and cultural phenomenon in contiguous poverty-stricken areas, remote rural areas with low economic development and weak public service capacity in China (hereinafter referred to as “impoverished areas”), has become a core obstacle to the realization of women’s political rights, leading to a more severe gender imbalance in the political power structure of these regions compared with other areas. Formal equality of opportunity in the legal sense has failed to effectively break the practical predicament of women’s political marginalization in impoverished areas. Taking the women’s political quota system as the research core, this paper focuses on the theoretical controversy between substantive equality and equality of opportunity, specifically analyzes how patriarchal ideology restricts women’s political participation in impoverished areas through family role binding, resource allocation bias and social cognitive stereotypes, combs the global status quo of gender imbalance in the political power system and the supporting role of global quota system research for this paper’s argument, analyzes the realistic characteristics and special dilemmas of women’s political rights protection under the dual constraints of poverty and patriarchal ideology, and explores the practical value of the quota system in safeguarding women’s political rights in impoverished areas. Based on the experience of the European Union in improving the quota system mechanism, the paper puts forward specific and operable targeted paths for optimizing the women’s political rights protection system in impoverished areas. The study holds that in the context where patriarchal ideology in impoverished areas cannot be fundamentally changed in the short term, the quota system, as a practical carrier of substantive equality, is an essential and feasible means to correct systemic gender discrimination and guarantee women’s equal participation in politics. Only through localized institutional design, strict implementation mechanisms and multi-dimensional supporting measures can we promote the transformation of women’s political participation in impoverished areas from formal equality to substantive equality, and truly realize the effective safeguarding of women’s political rights.

This special issue examines the phenomenon of the tradwife—a “retro feminine” figure who performs extreme domesticity on social media. The rise of the tradwife is familiar, yet also reflective of the current technopolitical moment. To introduce this special issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly, we first explore a set of cultural forces that we believe have paved the way for the tradwife's recent ascendence. We contend that tradwives used social media to sell a message perfectly-tailored to the moment: They championed old-school gender roles by tapping into women's dissatisfaction with feminist progress; they showed off laborious domestic pursuits during coronavirus disease 2019, when people's attention narrowed to the home; and they evoked nostalgia in ways that echoed far-right political communications. Next, we summarize seven articles published in this special issue. The first three articles use feminist theories and content-coding strategies to describe the visual and ideological landscape of the tradwife. The next two articles identify how sexist and patriarchal ideologies characterize men's roles in the tradwife phenomenon. The last two articles contend with women's experiences living and leaving the tradlife. Finally, we name several open questions about the tradwife phenomenon that feminist psychological theory and methods are well-equipped to answer.

This paper investigates the visual representations—or the marked absence—of Hagar, Bilhah, and Zilpah, three enslaved women in the Book of Genesis, within seventeenth-century Mediterranean painting. Drawing on feminist biblical criticism, art historical analysis, and visual exegesis, it explores how artists in Catholic regions such as Italy and Spain engaged with the iconography of these biblical figures. The study considers how artworks either reproduce or challenge the patriarchal ideologies embedded in Scripture and reflected in early modern theology and culture. Through the analysis of selected paintings, it reveals how silence, abjection, and guilt were visually encoded into the stories of these women, shaping their reception across time. It also contrasts Catholic visual traditions with Dutch Protestant interpretations, illuminating the theological and cultural dynamics at play. The research shows how artistic strategies—such as composition, gesture, and emotion—contributed to the marginalization or subversion of these figures. Ultimately, the paper argues that early modern art participated in the ideological work of biblical interpretation, acting as both a mirror and a critique of patriarchal structures. In doing so, it contributes to broader debates at the intersection of gender, religion, and visual culture, and expands the discourse on how enslaved and silenced biblical women are negotiated through image.

Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa (1747-48) has been considered one of the most powerful novels ever in the eighteenth century and the cornerstone of the discourse of gender, virtue, and moral authority. In the last several decades, the novel has gained much attention of feminist critics who have discussed its portrayal of female agency, patriarchal domination, and the construction of virtue in the culture. This review provides a critical analysis of significant feminist approaches to Clarissa, the way in which academics have dealt with the character of Clarissa Harlowe and her struggle against social and family forces acting on her. Through the analysis of key arguments presented by the critics like E.J. Clery, Nancy Armstrong and Lois Chaber, the paper draws attention to the various ways feminist criticism has viewed the virtue, autonomy and moral resistance of Clarissa. Another issue that the article addresses is the fact that there is still a debate as to whether or not Richardson novel ends up challenging patriarchal ideology or plays into it. By means of this review, the paper shows that Clarissa still holds an important role in feminist literary scholarship and in the discourses about gender relations in the eighteenth-century fiction.

Film as a cultural product functions not only as entertainment but also as a representational practice that constructs and reproduces social meanings. Women from Rote Island (2023) portrays women's experiences within an indigenous cultural context, particularly in relation to power relations, the female body, and gender-based violence. This study aims to analyze the representation of women in the film and the meanings constructed through its system of signs. This research adopts a constructivist paradigm with a qualitative descriptive approach. The method used was Roland Barthes' semiotic analysis, focusing on denotative, connotative, cultural–affective meanings, and myth. The research data consist of twelve film scenes selected purposively based on their relevance to issues of women's representation and gender relations. The analysis examines visual and narrative signifiers presented in these scenes. The findings reveal that at the denotative level, the film represents women's everyday life in an indigenous community as ordinary and natural. However, at the connotative level, women are constructed as vulnerable and subordinate subjects, while men are represented as socially authoritative actors. Cultural and affective dimensions reinforce this construction through the depiction of shame, fear, and resignation attached to female characters. At the level of myth, patriarchy and customary law are naturalized as legitimate social orders, positioning the objectification and violence against women as acceptable social consequences. This study concludes that Women from Rote Island not only reflects social reality but also actively reproduces patriarchal ideology through symbolic and affective representational practices.

Language functions not only as a medium of communication but also as a site where ideology and power relations are produced and contested. This study examines how patriarchal ideology is both constructed and resisted in Chapter V of Putu Pratiwi’s Melawan Bahasa Patriarki, entitled “Liberation of Women from Patriarchal Language Today.” Drawing on Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of Critical Discourse Analysis, the research analyses the text at the levels of textual features, discursive practice, and socio-cultural practice. Using a qualitative approach, selected excerpts are examined with attention to lexical choices, transitivity, sentence mood (affirmative and imperative constructions), modality, and intertextuality. The findings indicate that patriarchal ideology is embedded in gender-marked vocabulary and epistemic modalities that normalise male-centred perspectives. At the same time, the text constructs resistance through imperative appeals, the redefinition of feminine identity, and the introduction of alternative terminology. Discursively, readers—particularly women—are positioned as active agents of resistance. Socio-culturally, the analysis shows how linguistic practices both reflect and challenge broader patriarchal structures. This study contributes to Critical Discourse Analysis and feminist linguistics by demonstrating how linguistic microstructures interact with social contexts to sustain and resist patriarchal power in contemporary Indonesian discourse.

This study examines the stylistic patterns and discursive construction of gender in six English fairy tale narratives: Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty (contemporary reimagining), Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, and Rapunzel. Using a qualitative stylistic and discourse-analytic approach, the research explores how linguistic features such as lexical choices, transitivity patterns, dialogue structures, and narrative organisation contribute to the representation of gender roles. The findings reveal that traditional fairy tales consistently construct femininity through passivity, beauty, obedience, and emotional labour, while masculinity is associated with agency, authority, and control. Female characters are often positioned as recipients of actions, with their success dependent on external intervention, particularly male rescue. In contrast, male characters drive narrative progression and resolution. However, the contemporary reimagining of Sleeping Beauty challenges these conventions by presenting a more agentive female protagonist and a more egalitarian model of masculinity. Across the texts, binary oppositions between “good” and “bad” femininity are reinforced, and marriage is frequently depicted as the ultimate resolution of female identity. The study concludes that while traditional fairy tales perpetuate patriarchal ideologies through stylistic and discursive means, modern reinterpretations offer alternative frameworks that emphasise autonomy, resistance, and gender equality.

Early marriage remains prevalent in several regions of Indonesia, particularly in Jember, which records the highest rate in East Java despite the legal age restrictions. This phenomenon is deeply rooted in family ideology, especially the mother’s role as a central figure shaping children’s perceptions. This study aims to reveal the mindset of mothers and adolescents through a syntactic analysis based on Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), focusing on the ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions. Using a qualitative method, data were obtained from utterances collected through observations and elicitation interviews conducted in Madura language with responses in Indonesian. The data were analyzed using referential comparison and free interpretation methods. Findings indicate that mothers’ speech reproduces cultural, moral, and religious values concerning women’s roles, while adolescents’ language reflects conformity to those norms. Linguistic relations between them sustain early marriage as part of the established social value system, reflecting patriarchal ideology and power embedded in rural Javanese and Madurase culture. By using SFL theory, this research has succeeded in revealing that language structure is not neutral, but rather reflects the collective mindset of society which views early marriage as a moral and social obligation, not as a violation of individual rights.

Purpose: This theoretical paper explores domestic violence (DV) within the sociocultural framework of Esanland (Oto Esan[1]), Edo State, Nigeria. It aims to critically examine how entrenched patriarchal ideologies, and cultural norms shape the perception and perpetuation of DV in this rural context. Methods: Using patriarchal theory and the ecological Model, the study engages in a conceptual examination of DV as a culturally embedded phenomenon. It synthesizes existing literature, cultural narratives, and normative structures to interrogate how violence is legitimized and sustained within traditional gender hierarchies. Results: The analysis reveals that DV in Esanland is normalized through patriarchal traditions that reinforce male dominance and female subjugation. These cultural constructs obscure the severity of abuse and hinder effective intervention. The study highlights the absence of institutional accountability, inadequate policing strategies, and limited community-based resistance, which perpetuate the cycle of violence. Conclusions: DV in Esanland reflects broader ideological systems that require critical engagement and cultural reconfiguration. Addressing DV in this context demands a shift in gender norms, the development of culturally sensitive prevention frameworks, and the empowerment of marginalized voices.

This study explores how passivization and negation function as ideological positioning markers of gendered ideology in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985). The study has three interrelated objectives: first, to investigate how the grammatical structures of passivization and negation linguistically encode and reinforce gendered subordination and power asymmetries in The Handmaid’s Tale; second, to analyze the ways in which the employment of passivization and negation reflect and sustain patriarchal ideology in the discourse of the novel; and third, to explore how Atwood’s strategic use of passivization and negation provides discursive spaces for resistance and identity reassertion within the female narrative voice. The study draws on two analytical strands, critical discourse analysis and systemic functional grammar, to examine selected extracts from the novel. A qualitative textual analysis method is employed, focusing on patterns of passive constructions and negation in the discourse of the selected novel. This study has analytical and theoretical findings. Analytically, it reveals that passivization operates as a grammatical mechanism of control, concealing male or institutional agency and naturalizing female subjugation, and that negation constructs ideological boundaries by defining women’s identities through prohibition and absence. This, in turn, indicates that the use of passivization and negation in the selected novel contributes effectively to sustaining gendered ideology. Theoretically, this study contributes to the field of feminist linguistics by linking literary and discourse-analytic approaches to decipher the function of language as a tool of control and empowerment in gender-related contexts.

This article interrogates the discursive construction of the female voice as ‘awrah within digital da’wah, specifically analyzing the Instagram account @thesunnah_path. Utilizing Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), synthesized with the Mubādalah (reciprocity) hermeneutic, the study examines how religious authority and patriarchal ideologies are reproduced through social media. The analysis of text, discursive practices, and social structures reveals that theological terms such as fitnah (temptation) and obedience are instrumentalized to legitimize the domestication of women. This phenomenon represents a form of “digital patriarchy” that operates through language and algorithms to silence female agency. Conversely, the Mubādalah approach offers an egalitarian reinterpretation, positing the female voice as a medium for spiritual and intellectual expression rather than a source of moral corruption. Ultimately, this research underscores the urgency of deconstructing hegemonic narratives to restore gender justice and human-centric values to contemporary Islamic digital discourse.

From the beginning of time women have had very specific roles in the society. The African society is one that is patriarchal and requires women to be subordinated and emancipated and is dominated by patriarchal ideologies. This paper investigates the omission/undervaluation of women's political agency in precolonial historiography. Princess Mkabayi took the throne to become a regent when her brother Senzangakhona ka Jama the rightful heir was still young, this was a first ever in the Zulu Kingdom for a woman to become a regent. This paper argues that Princess Mkabayi's regency and political strategies constitute a form of indigenous proto feminism that actively contested patriarchal structures. The article utilises textual and historical analysis to interpret Princess Mkabayi’s political authority through a feminist lens. It argues that her leadership challenges the dominant patriarchal assumptions about women in precolonial Africa. The paper contributes to African feminist historiography by putting Princess Mkabayi as the central decision maker of the 19th century Zulu monarchy. The article aims to examine how Princess Mkabayi succeeded (Methods and Techniques applied) with strong ambitions into bringing stability into the Royal house and ensuring the continuation of the Zulu line and monarchy and at the same time empowering women.

Drawing on Alobwed’Epie’s The Lady with a Beard, this paper examines how patriarchal paradigms are interrogated and deconstructed through the character of Emade, the novel’s heroine, who is endowed with attributes culturally coded as masculine. Through her resilience, intelligence, and authoritative engagement with cultural practices traditionally reserved for men, Emade challenges entrenched gender hierarchies and redefines African womanhood. Her assertiveness in matters of inheritance, succession, ritual authority, and sexual autonomy positions her as a transformative figure who negotiates, rather than rejects, culture to assert female agency. Anchored in African feminist thought, cultural politics, and structuralist theory, the paper argues that while patriarchal ideologies persist in reinforcing male dominance, women possess equal capacity to lead, innovate, and reshape societal norms. By examining widowhood as both a socially constructed site of marginalization and a potential locus of empowerment, the study demonstrates how Alobwed’Epie interrogates the intersections of culture, gender, and power. Ultimately, the paper reveals that African women, exemplified by Emade, can challenge oppressive traditions while preserving and re-signifying the cultural heritage of their communities.

This study assessed gender mainstreaming trends in the appointment of ordained women into leadership positions in the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA), Ruiru Sub-County, Kiambu County, Kenya. Historically, church leadership has largely been dominated by men, limiting women’s opportunities for administrative and ministerial leadership despite their ordination. The study was guided by Patriarchal Ideology Theory as developed by Iglitzin and Ross (1976), which explains how societal structures divide public and private spheres, traditionally assigning leadership and public authority to men while confining women to nurturing roles. The study employed a mixed-methods approach using a cross-sectional descriptive design. Quantitative data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires administered to church members and leaders, while qualitative data were obtained through interviews and focus group discussions. The target population included church members, elders, and administrative leaders across 20 PCEA churches in Ruiru Sub-County. A sample size of 504 respondents was determined using Fischer’s formula, with a 98.8% response rate achieved. Findings revealed that gender mainstreaming in leadership appointments is influenced by several demographic and institutional factors, including age, marital status, education level, length of stay in church, and special religious training. The majority of respondents perceived age (73%) and length of stay (67%) as major influencing factors. Additionally, the absence of a clearly written gender policy within the church was identified as a structural limitation to gender equality. Qualitative findings further revealed persistent bias, stereotyping, and deeply embedded patriarchal structures that limit women’s advancement into leadership positions. The study concludes that although the PCEA constitution allows the recruitment of both men and women into leadership roles, gender mainstreaming challenges persist due to cultural, structural, and institutional barriers. The study recommends that the PCEA develop a comprehensive gender policy, implement leadership development and mentorship programs specifically targeting women, and promote institutional reforms aimed at dismantling patriarchal biases within church leadership structures.

Kakawin Nītiśāstra is a classic Old Javanese literary work that holds significant cultural value, especially within Balinese society, and is widely studied in academic settings. Previous research has primarily focused on its ethical teachings and character education, highlighting its role as a moral guide for life. However, a closer examination of the text reveals stanzas that portray women in ways that contradict this interpretation, specifically presenting them as unequal to men. This study addresses the gap in existing literature by focusing on gender representation in Kakawin Nītiśāstra. Given its portrayal as a "guide" for life, the research aims to critically assess how gender roles are presented and encourage more thoughtful engagement with its teachings. Using Sara Mills' critical discourse analysis framework and a qualitative descriptive method, the study analyzes content. The findings show that men are represented as active subjects who speak about and evaluate women, while women are positioned as passive objects under male control. The discourse reflects a patriarchal ideology, with readers implicitly constructed as male, reinforcing gender norms.