Violent Girls Research Articles

Breaking Norms: Depictions of Violent Girls in Swedish Newspapers

ABSTRACT This study explores the portrayal of girls engaged in violence within Swedish newspapers, focusing on contemporary representations in the media landscape. News media plays a pivotal role in shaping societal perceptions and norms, including those surrounding violence and gender. Analyzing media depictions of girls’ violence is crucial as it influences our understanding of gender norms and violence. We examined newspaper articles from 2021 to discern how violent girls were depicted, the portrayal of their actions, and whether they were given agency in the narratives. Utilizing gender theory with an intersectional lens, we scrutinized how Swedish media reported on and portrayed girls’ violence. Three key themes emerged: the characteristics of violent girls, the forms of violence, and explanations for their behavior. Notably, explanations for girls’ violence often focused narrowly on individual or relational factors, neglecting broader social contexts. Additionally, the girls were rarely given a platform to express their perspectives. Media portrayals positioned them as deviant from both feminine and violent norms, reinforcing societal stereotypes.

Gender-Based Violence in Girls’ Sports

Millions of girls and young women participate in organized sports annually as a vehicle for developing a strong sense of self, social bonds, a positive body image and a sense of agency. Although the benefits of sport engagement are experienced by many girls, the overwhelming evidence of experiences of gender-based violence in sport cannot be ignored (e.g., USA Gymnastics, Hockey Canada). This paper will address gender-based violence experienced by adolescents in sport with a focus on psychological violence. The literature is replete with evidence that girls experience higher rates of gender-based psychological violence in sport than boys, and as a result, incur developmental costs. Psychological violence is experienced by girls in sport in the form of demeaning comments, body shaming, inequitable media coverage and funding and the ongoing policing of women’s bodies in sport through sexualized sport attire and physiological testing. The causes and effects of psychological violence will be addressed along with recommendations to prevent and address gender-based violence in sport.

Peer correlates of conduct problems in girls.

Conduct problems are increasingly prevalent in girls and they uniquely predict negative outcomes. Yet, few reliable risk factors for aggression and violence in girls and women have been identified. Although preliminary evidence suggests peer relationships may be central to the development of youth conduct problems, especially in girls, rigorous interactive models of peer risk and protective factors for conduct problems are lacking. Based on 3104 10-13-year-old girls in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study, we tested the independent associations of separate peer risk factors (i.e., relational aggression victimization, physical aggression victimization, and deviant peer affiliation) with multidimensional conduct problems, including their moderation by peer support. Being the victim of relational aggression, being the victim of physical aggression, and deviant peer affiliation were each positively associated with conduct problems and perpetration of aggression whereas peer support was negatively associated with youth report conduct problems and perpetration of physical aggression. Further, elevated peer support significantly attenuated the association of being the victim of relational aggression with teacher-rated conduct problems. These results highlight the sensitivity of conduct problems to peer risk factors and suggest that peer support designates important configurations of risk that differentially relate to conduct problems in girls.

Do laws promoting gender equity and freedom from violence benefit the most vulnerable? A multilevel analysis of women's and adolescent girls' experiences in 15 low- and-middle-income countries.

In this analysis, we assess whether laws that promote gender equity and freedom from violence are associated with a lower risk of prior-year physical and sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) among adolescent girls and adult women (AGW) and whether these laws protect more and less vulnerable AGW equally. We included all 15 countries that administered the Domestic Violence Module in a Demographic and Health Survey since 2015. The primary exposure was a validated, country-level index of laws on violence against women and girls (LoVI). A multilevel approach was used to model five forms of violence (prior-year partner physical, sexual, physical or sexual violence and prior-year non-partner physical violence or sexual violence) among ever-partnered, non-widowed adolescent girls 13–19 years (n = 6691) and women 20–49 years (n = 119 343). Across countries, partner physical violence ranged from 0% to 33% and sexual violence from 0% to 23%. Laws on marital rape, child marriage and sexual harassment were negatively associated with prior-year physical and sexual IPV for women and girls. Comprehensive domestic violence legislation was unrelated to girls’ experiences of prior-year physical or prior-year sexual IPV. No interaction was observed between LoVI component laws and a score meant to capture adolescent vulnerability. Three of the four LoVI component laws had consistent, negative associations with partner violence for girls and women, but negative associations were stronger for women than girls. Thus, while laws promoting gender equity and freedom from violence are generally protective, they may be more so for women than adolescent girls. Future research should explore the impact of gender equitable laws on women’s and adolescent girls’ experiences of violence, and countries may consider more comprehensive legal protections against violence for adolescent girls.

Associations of Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences with Behavioral Problems in Preschool Children.

Investigations have found maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) cause an intergenerational danger to their children's health. However, no study has investigated the effects of maternal ACEs on behavioral problems of preschool children in China and gender differences on these effects. This paper aims to investigate the role of maternal ACEs on behavioral problems of preschool children in China and explore gender differences as related to these behavioral problems. Stratified cluster sampling method was used to select 7318 preschool children from 12 districts in Hefei city, China. A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect information on maternal exposure to ACEs and Conners' Parent Rating Scales. Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between maternal ACEs and children's behavioral problems. The prevalence of behavioral problems in preschool children was 16.0%, while it was higher among girls (18.4%) than boys (13.92%) (χ2 = 27.979, p < 0.001). The rate of behavioral problems in children in the group of mothers with ACEs was higher than those without ACEs (all p < 0.05). Maternal ACEs were associated with increased risk of the behavior problems in preschool children (adjusted OR 2.91, 95% CI 2.45-3.45), and no gender difference (in girls 3.01, 2.38-3.81, in boys 2.79, 2.17-3.58, respectively) was found. Maternal ACEs were associated with increased risk of each type of the behavioral problems of preschool children, except that maternal emotional neglect was not associated with psycho-physical problems, impulse-activities, and anxiety. The only gender differences found were higher conduct problems related to maternal emotional abuse and ACEs and higher anxiety related to maternal physical abuse and community violence in girls compared with boys. Mothers exposured to ACEs are more likely to have children with behavioral health problems in preschool period. Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms by which maternal ACEs influence children's behavioral problems.

Dialogic Feminist Gathering and the Prevention of Gender Violence in Girls With Intellectual Disabilities.

Adolescent gender-based violence prevention and sexuality education is a topic of current concern given the increasing numbers of violence directed at girls. International organizations indicate that one in three girls aged 15 to 19 have experienced gender-based violence in their sexual relationships that this risk may be as much as 3–4 times higher for girls with disabilities. Following the good results obtained in the research project “Free_Teen_Desire” led by the University of Cambridge and funded by the Marie Curie Actions Program in the prevention of gender violence in adolescents through Dialogic Feminist Gatherings (DFG), the aim of study is to analyze Its transfer and impact on adolescent girls with intellectual disabilities. The DFGs are here understood as generators of a more dialogic environment for girls in general and we wonder if and how It is extended to the context of girls with disabilities. Thus, the research takes the form of a case study with a communicative approach on a DFGs. The intervention is carried out in a special school located in Valencia during the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 academic years with a group of 19 non-mixed female students, female teachers, and the mother of one of the students. The study analyzes which are the transfer criteria to incorporate the DFGs in a special education context and what is their impact on the prevention of gender violence in girls with disabilities. The data collection techniques consist of two in-depth interviews, analysis of the field diary of 24 intervention sessions and a focus group with seven teachers. It is demonstrated that DFGs are successfully transferred to the special education context of the case study. The results show how contexts of safety, solidarity and friendship are generated which protect adolescent girls with disabilities from relationships with gender violence.

Sexual Violence Experience Among Nigerian Girls and Young Women: What Are the Roles of Early Sexual Debut, Multiple Sex Partnerships, and Traditional Gender Role Beliefs?

In Nigeria, one in four females has experienced some form of sexual abuse. Therefore, it is imperative to examine risk factors associated with sexual violence victimization of Nigerian girls and young women to identify targets for prevention and help stakeholders prioritize response efforts. The present article focuses on secondary data analyses of 1,766 females, aged 13 to 24, interviewed in the population-based 2014 Nigeria Violence Against Children Survey. The outcome of interest is lifetime sexual violence (LSV). Several potential predictors were explored: beliefs about gender roles related to sex, early sexual debut (aged <16 years), and multiple sex partners in the past 12 months. Other risk factors assessed were age, ethnicity, religion, education, marital status, and employment. Logistic regression analyses estimated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results revealed that females who endorsed beliefs about patriarchal sexual decision-making (AOR = 2.1, 95% CI = [1.28, 3.32]) or ever attended school (AOR = 2.4, 95% CI = [1.35, 4.34]) were more likely to report experiencing LSV. Prevention programs that target traditional norm beliefs about gender and sexuality have the potential to influence sexual violence in Nigeria. In addition, school attendance may expose females to potential perpetrators. Thus, to prevent sexual violence of girls who attend school, implementing safety measures may be beneficial for protecting them while in and traveling to/from school.

The ebbs and flows of policy enactments on school-related gender-based violence: Insights from Ethiopia, Zambia, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo

While school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) is increasingly on the agenda of international development agencies and national governments, there is little evidence on the policy processes that can more effectively address violence. Drawing on data from studies conducted during an innovative three year action research project with UNICEF and governments in Ethiopia, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire and Zambia, this paper explores the struggles of actors and organisations engaged in developing and implementing policies linked to SRGBV at national, mid and local levels. We examine interlinked political, conceptual and resource challenges that frequently hinder the multi-dimensional work needed to respond to and prevent the many forms of everyday violence in girls’ and boys’ lives. Finally, we explore the potential for strengthening government structures, and networks across sectors and state and non-state organisations, that are able to support the creative work of school communities to recontextualise policies, in order to generate more effective multi-dimensional policy enactments.

Constructing “Bad Girls”: Representations of Violent Girls in the Canadian and U.S. News Media

ABSTRACT Through a mixed-methods content analysis of media articles published in top-circulating Canadian and US news outlets, we explored the transnational media construction of girls’ violence. Four interconnected themes emerged. Across the Canadian and US news media, girls were depicted as sinister villains who enjoyed violence, uncivilized animals who unleashed terror, harlots fueled by jealousy and obsession, or sympathetic average Janes whose violence was not symptomatic of their character. Although there were no statistically significant differences in the prevalence of the themes by country, qualitative comparisons revealed nuanced differences in the manifestation of themes. Whereas the American coverage uniquely sexualized girls, the Canadian coverage cast girls in relation to boys, either through their own manipulation of boys or through violence motivated by jealousy or obsession. Similarly, we found evidence of a more nuanced racialization of girls in the United States whereby girls of Color were constructed as uncivilized sub-humans. In contrast, the dehumanization of girls was most salient in Canadian news coverage of high-profile cases of girls’ violence. We conclude with a discussion of the study’s implications of findings for understanding the specificity and generalizability of media narratives related to girls’ violence.

The independent and joint effects of race, crime, and social location on the dispositional decisions of juvenile girls

The nexus of race, gender, and social location remain a habitual line of inquiry for many criminologists. However, quantitative studies of intersectionality are rare and especially rare as it relates to those studying serious and violent girls sentenced in the juvenile court. Particularly, this study seeks to explore how racialized gender expectations and forms of double/multiplicative jeopardy influence the back-end outcomes for serious and violent girls. Findings reveal the black girls, compared to their white counterparts, were sentenced with less leniency, and instead, punished in a more punitive matter. Importantly, these findings vary across the gamut of legal and extralegal variables. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are discussed, as well as the limitations of the present study.

Childhood Social Functioning and Young Adult Intimate Partner Violence in Girls With and Without ADHD: Response Inhibition as a Moderator

Objective: Examine the moderating effects of response inhibition on the longitudinal association between social preference/relational aggression measured in childhood, and intimate partner violence (IPV) measured in young adulthood, among women with (n = 140) and without (n = 88) histories of childhood ADHD. Method: During childhood, social preference was measured through confidential peer sociometric nominations, yielding negative and positive peer regard; relational aggression was assessed via staff behavioral observations; and response inhibition was assessed using commission errors from the continuous performance task. During young adulthood, IPV was ascertained via a clinician-administered, semistructured interview. Results: Social preference and relational aggression independently predicted IPV; this prospective link was moderated by response inhibition. Conclusion: In combination with low social preference or high relational aggression in childhood, poor response inhibition predicted the highest levels of young-adult IPV. Given the developmental significance of peer relationships, additional research on the causes of and treatments for poor social functioning in ADHD is warranted.

A Study on Types of School girl Violence in Korean and Japanese Schools

A Study on Types of School girl Violence in Korean and Japanese Schools

The Invisible Burden of Violence Against Girls and Young Women in Mexico: 1990 to 2015.

The increasing burden of interpersonal violence in women in Mexico is a neglected social and health problem that competes with other leading causes of premature death, disability, and health losses in young women. In this article, we focus on revealing the burden of violence in girls and young women and its implications for public policy. This study presents the subnational analysis of Mexico from the Global Burden of Disease study (1990-2015). The global study harmonized information of 195 countries and 79 risk factors. The study analyzed the deaths, years of life lost to premature death (YLL), years lived with disability (YLD), and the healthy years of life lost or disability-adjusted life year (DALY) related to violence. Nationwide, violence in young women accounts for 7% of all deaths in the 10 to 29 years age group and arises as the second most important cause of death in all age groups, except 10 to 14 years old, where it stands in the seventh position from 1990 to 2015. The health losses and social impact related to violence in young women demands firm actions by the government and society. It is urgent for health institutions to focus on the health of girls and young women because gender inequities have an enormous effect on their lives. Girls and women are nearly universally less powerful, less privileged, and have fewer opportunities than men.

Representations of dating violence in Chilean adolescents: A qualitative study

Chilean adolescents (n = 48) between 14 and 18 years old recruited from public and private schools were asked in focus groups about their social representations of dating violence. Data analysis shows convergences and divergences in the participants' social representations. The boys and the girls from the two types of schools generally agreed about the definition and explanations of DV, as well as the differences in the violence used by boys and girls, adolescents and adults, and different social classes. Two main divergences stand out: first, the justification of DV differs by gender and type of school; and second, the experience of family violence is seen as a risk factor for or a protective factor against DV. The study highlights how changes with respect to gender relations in Chilean society have influenced violence in girls and boys. Recommendations for future research and for potential prevention strategies are made.

Graphic Girlhoods: Visualizing Education and Violence by Elizabeth Marshall

Reviewed by: Graphic Girlhoods: Visualizing Education and Violence by Elizabeth Marshall Sara K. Day (bio) Graphic Girlhoods: Visualizing Education and Violence. By Elizabeth Marshall. New York: Routledge, 2018. In this slim but high-impact volume, Elizabeth Marshall examines a number of graphic texts—some written for girls, some written about girlhoods—in order to construct a complex, compelling argument about the role of violence in girls' education. Focusing primarily on texts from the United States and Canada, she argues "that violence is a key element of the girl's education, and that this curriculum, and resistance to it, circulates in familiar storylines and images across visual culture, especially in texts for or about the girl" (4). The intersection of graphic texts, pedagogies of girlhood, and feminist lenses for reading allows Marshall to maintain a narrow focus while creating space for sometimes surprising insights about works ranging from "Little Red Riding Hood" variations and Nancy Drew manga to women's auto/biographical graphic memoirs. The result is an incisive, inspiring text that will prove valuable to scholars of children's literature, girlhood studies, and graphic narratives. Her introduction poses three questions: "How is the schoolgirl made legible through violence in graphic texts of girlhood? What knowledge (sic) about girlhood and violence are under erasure within mainstream images and scripts about the schoolgirl? In what ways has the schoolgirl been pictured in graphic narratives to communicate feminist knowledge, represent trauma, and/or testify about social violence?" (7). As these questions indicate, concerns about (in) visibility inform much of this study, but Marshall also gives equal—and crucial—attention to the ways in which visual representations of the schoolgirl can act as a form of resistance to structural violence. The text is divided into two parts, "Cultural Pedagogies of Girlhood" and "Resistant Schoolgirls." Opening with Alexis O'Neill's The Recess Queen (2002), chapter 1 establishes that many depictions of mean girls depend on problematic and often regressive [End Page 479] assumptions about girls' aggression. Later in the chapter, Marshall turns to Fanny Britt's Jane, the Fox, and Me (2013), Patricia Polacco's Bully (2012), and Rachel Renee Russell's Dork Diaries series (2009–present)—all of which have been identified by educators as anti-bullying resources—to interrogate what she calls a "pedagogy of kindness," which essentially demands that mean girls achieve redemption through friendship and ignores the larger systemic issues that pit girls against each other in the first place. To highlight the larger implications of such representations, she looks to Eleanor Estes's The Hundred Dresses (1944) and Jacqueline Woodson's Each Kindness (2012) as illustrated texts that "acknowledge intersectional identities, and that exclusionary behaviors often stem from an intolerance of difference" (23). Marshall concludes this chapter with a consideration of how the mean girl has been marketed to girl readers, noting that one implication of such representations is the rendering of the school as a neutral space rather than an institution that itself embodies discrimination and oppression. This first chapter captures the book's scope and spirit exceptionally well, highlighting the ways in which Marshall will bring into conversation a variety of genres and texts, including not just children's literature but also works intended for older audiences and cultural discourses about girlhood. Likewise, her discussion of the pedagogy of kindness anticipates the ways in which she will return to and frequently trouble the concept of pedagogy throughout the book, reinforcing her contention that the lessons schoolgirl characters learn in these illustrated texts become manifest in the lived experiences of girl readers in a variety of often very harmful ways. Chapters 2 and 3 shift their focus somewhat, investigating stories that are not necessarily representations of the schoolgirl but nonetheless play influential roles in the educational and reading experiences of many contemporary girls. "Nice White Girls: Violence and Racial Masquerade in Nancy Drew" examines the famous girl detective as a white savior figure, highlighting the xenophobic attitudes of the series from the depictions of yellowface in mid-twentieth-century installations to problematic treatments of the racial Other in more recent graphic novels. While the connection to the schoolgirl figure becomes a bit tenuous here, this chapter offers an...

Violent Girls in the United States: Urban, Suburban, and Rural Differences

Violent Girls in the United States: Urban, Suburban, and Rural Differences

Girl Fights and the Online Media Construction of Black Female Violence and Sexuality

This article uses content analysis to examine the media construction of violence and sexuality among young Black, White, and Latina women who fight on WorldStarHipHop.com . I explore symbolic themes derived from the construction of violence through physical fighting. Findings suggest overrepresentation of depictions of Black women as perpetrators, specifically with weapon use and amount of physical violence shown. Findings also indicate racial differences in displays of nudity. Yet, these racialized images conflict with existing codes of violence in urban Black communities. This article adds new insight into the critical discourse surrounding urban Black women and new media construction of girl violence.

Plea Bargains Among Serious and Violent Girls: An Intersectional Approach Exploring Race in the Juvenile Court

There exists much scholarship on the decision-making process in the juvenile court. While a variety of processes in the juvenile court, types of offenders, and theoretical frameworks have been analyzed to better understand the decision-making processes, there are some gaps, particularly in the use of an intersectional framework in explaining the plea bargaining process among serious and violent girls. Given the paucity of research on this subject, the present study pays homage to intersectionality by exploring the aforementioned process and group in the juvenile court.

Do seriously offending girls differ from their age- and offence type-matched male counterparts on psychopathic traits or psychopathy-related background variables?

BackgroundMore research is needed to improve our understanding of the manifestation of psychopathic traits in violently offending girls. Our aim here was to assess psychopathic traits and psychopathy-related background variables in a Finnish nationwide consecutive sample of girls charged with violent crimes and referred to a pretrial forensic psychiatric examination. These girls were then compared to their male counterparts.MethodsThe forensic psychiatric examination statements of 15- to 17-year-old juveniles who underwent a pretrial forensic psychiatric examination over a 31-year period (1980–2010) were reviewed. For each non-psychotic girl with a normal IQ (n = 25), an age- and offence type-matched male control was randomly selected. Offence and offender characteristics were collected from the forensic psychiatric examination reports, and a file-based assessment of psychopathic traits was performed using the Hare psychopathy checklist-youth version.ResultsApproximately every third girl exhibited high traits of psychopathy, and no significant difference was observed between the genders. Focusing on the underlying factor and item scores, the girls scored significantly lower than boys on the Antisocial factor. Their interpersonal relationships were significantly more unstable and they significantly more often exhibited a history of child sexual abuse. During the index offence the girls were significantly less frequently intoxicated, and their victims were significantly more often family members or current or ex-intimates but significantly less often strangers.ConclusionsAlthough violently offending girls and boys do not differ on psychopathy total scores, significant gender differences exist on underlying factor and item scores as well as in background- and offence-related variables. Interventions should take into account these special features of violent girls.

Preventing violence against women and girls: educational work with children and young people

Introduction - Jane Ellis and Ravi Thiara Preventing violence against women and girls through education: dilemmas and challenges ~ Jane Ellis Does Gender Matter in Violence Prevention Programs? ~ Leslie Tutty Responding to sexual violence in girls' intimate relationships: The role of schools ~ Christine Barter Preventing violence against women and girls: utilising a 'whole-school approach' ~ Claire Maxwell and Peter Aggleton 'Pandora's Box': Challenging Violence against Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Women and Girls ~ Hananna Siddiqui and Anita Bhardwaj What did you learn in school today? Creating effective spaces for domestic violence prevention work with young people ~ Pattie Friend No Silent Witnesses ~ Chris Greenwood MsUnderstood: The benefits of engaging young women in anti-violence policy and services ~ Carlene Firmin Preventing sexual violence: the role of the voluntary sector ~ Michelle Barry and Jo Pearce 'Boys think girls are toys': sexual exploitation and young people ~ Ravi K. Thiara and Maddy Coy Shifting Boundaries: Lessons on Relationships for Students in Middle School ~ Nan Stein Conclusion ~ Jane Ellis and Ravi Thiara.