Women's Mistrust Research Articles

Mistrust: conservative rhetoric in the Oireachtas 2018 abortion debates

ABSTRACT In 2018, the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Ireland, which had prohibited abortion except under certain severe circumstances, was repealed by an overwhelming majority of voters in a national referendum. This article addresses opposition in the Oireachtas to the liberal changes to the abortion legislation that preceded and followed the referendum. By employing a critical discourse analysis approach, I identify characteristically conservative rhetoric and arguments used in the debates. Furthermore, I adopt an analytical framework provided by Albert O. Hirschman to argue that the opposing rhetoric employed wasrooted in the conservative tradition: the opponents of the abortion legislation argued both that the changes to the legislation will have the opposite result than intended and lead to unacceptable consequences. The legislation will not only harm society but also undermine the interests of women. I conclude that the opposition to the legislation was based on a mistrust of women, their agency and self-determination. The study aims to shed light on how core ideas of conservatism, such as opposition to ‘excessive’ equality, manifested in the contemporary political debates on abortion and how, ultimately, the rhetoric in the Irish debates fits within the larger framework of conservatism as a school of thought.

NARRATIVE BUILDING THROUGH MEMES ON RAPE AND HARASSMENT VICTIMS: A MULTIMODAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

The social media memes on rape and harassment victim in Pakistan create verbal and semiotic sexual violence for the victims along with their online supporters. Online misogyny is online abuse against women and girls that is rooted in a hatred and mistrust of women which seeks to silence the victims of rape and harassment, further reinforce gender inequalities. This research explored the role of linguistic and semiotic choices made by social media users to create social media memes serving victim blaming, victim silencing and revealing the diseased cognitive structures of such netizens (internet users) in the virtual world. The research is based on five social media memes on the most talked about cases of rape and harassment in the online world. The researcher selected those rape and harassment cases on which there were at least 25-50 memes. The present study data was taken from Facebook and Twitter in the form of screen shots of the memes. The data was analyzed at two level Micro-Discourse Analysis and Macro-Discourse Analysis. The research findings explored the triangular relationship between linguistic, social and cognitive structures. Thus, the social media memes revealed the cognitive structures of the meme creators through their linguistic as well as semiotic choices.

‘What a lying slut’: the (re)production of rape myths in online misogyny towards women disclosing their experiences of rape through the #MeToo movement

Online misogyny is a form of online abuse against women and girls which is rooted in a hatred and mistrust of women which seeks to silence them and reinforce gender inequalities. This study extends existing research in this area by examining online misogyny within the context of the #MeToo movement. The #MeToo movement created a safe space for women to share their experiences of sexual violence, and while this promoted solidarity, support and healing, there was also an abusive backlash towards the women involved. Based on a thematic analysis of abusive YouTube comments directed at women sharing their experiences of rape, it was found that 69 per cent of abusive comments were characterised by one or more of the seven rape myths: she asked for it, it wasn’t really rape, he didn’t mean to, she wanted it, she lied, rape is a trivial event, and rape is a deviant event. This article discusses each rape myth and demonstrates how rape myths are (re)produced in online misogyny towards victims/survivors of rape and concludes by arguing this response attempts to discredit victims/survivors, the #MeToo movement and disrupt the safe space the movement created to derail the collective conversation about men’s violence against women and girls.

Zero Dark Thirty, Maya and the myth of the Calydonian Boar

ABSTRACT Zero Dark Thirty depicts its female protagonist as a leading strategic character in the fictionalised account of the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Yet, as this study argues, she is paradoxically framed in terms of her capacity to disrupt the status quo. Kathryn Bigelow’s Maya (Jessica Chastain) is often marginalised by the male-dominated culture within which she works. This is a recurrent theme in military/combat narratives, evident as far back as Ovid’s tale of the warrior woman Atalanta. Research challenges the idea that physical and psychological differences make women less fitted to active combat, yet Bigelow’s cinematography and staging establish a narrative that expresses a mythological fear and mistrust of women’s inclusion into the fraternal unit. In arguing that the fate of Maya represents a cultural template which extends back to ancient mythology, this study unpicks the ideological forces which inform Bigelow’s framing of her female protagonist.

The Theme of Misogyny: A Study of the Select Plays of Vijay Tendulkar

This study is an investigation of the theme of misogyny as represented by the female characters in the select plays of Vijay Tendulkar. The study argues that the Indian cultural context leaves space for man to be superior and woman to be inferior. The term misogyny denotes hatred, dislike, or mistrust of women, manifested in various forms such as physical intimidation and abuse, sexual harassment and rape, social shunning and ostracism, etc. In most of the plays of Vijay Tendulkar women stand to be the objects of subjugation in the hands of their male counterparts with whom they happen to connect with in the hope of leading their normal life. Tendulkar’s plays display a wide range of complex behaviours those constitute different forms of violence – physical attacks and verbal abuses. A thorough analysis of the situations and circumstances related to women in Vijay Tendulkar’s plays reveal that the domestic, personal, political and social ambience in which the characters live in contribute them much violence physically, sexually, psychologically and verbally. As Tendulkar’s plays stand for the middle class society, the man in his plays quite often is brutal towards his female counterpart with his deep rooted ideologies. The paper’s finding speaks on how the woman characters evolve to be strong individuals amidst their adverse ambience.

Gender Stereotypes Explain Disparities in Pain Care and Inform Equitable Policies

Despite women experiencing and reporting more pain than men, women receive less intensive and effective treatment for their pain. The current work leverages the well-developed social psychological literature on gender stereotypes, specifically stereotypes of emotionality, to understand gender biases in pain care. Specifically, gender stereotypes about emotionality may generate beliefs that women dramatize, overemphasize, or even fabricate their experiences of pain relative to men. This mistrust in women’s experiences of pain could undermine efficacy and equality of care. Research needs to directly examine the role of provider stereotype endorsement in pain care disparities, how these stereotypes influence patient–provider interactions, and whether these stereotypes may be implicit in health care policies. Established interventions and potential policy reform could combat gender-emotionality stereotypes and thereby mistrust of women’s reports in the context of pain treatment.

A company I can trust? Organizational lay theories moderate stereotype threat for women.

Women remain under-represented in the leadership of corporate America. According to stereotype threat theory, this under-representation may persist because women are concerned about being stereotyped in business settings. Three studies investigated whether an entity (fixed), compared with an incremental (malleable), organizational lay theory is threatening for women evaluating a consulting company. Men and women viewed a company mission statement or website containing an entity or incremental theory. Results revealed that women--more so than men--trusted the entity company less than the incremental company. Furthermore, only women's mistrust of the entity company was driven by their expectations about being stereotyped by its management. Notably, when combined with high or low representations of female employees, only organizational lay theories predicted trust. Finally, people's--particularly women's--mistrust of the entity company led them to disengage more before interacting with a representative. Implications for women's experiences and outcomes in workplace settings are discussed.

“What makes you think you have special privileges because you are a police officer?” A qualitative exploration of police's role in the risk environment of female sex workers

Worldwide, female sex workers (FSWs) have high rates of HIV. Many factors that escalate their risk lay outside of their control, primarily in the environments in which they practice sex. An understudied yet powerful risk environment is that of police. We qualitatively explored sex workers' interactions with police in their personal and professional lives. Thirty-five FSWs were purposively sampled in Baltimore, MD, in 2012. Women discussed experiences of police verbal harassment, sexual exploitation, extortion, and a lack of police responsiveness to 911 calls in emergencies, largely partner violence. Women's mistrust of police was often developed at an early age and further reinforced by interactions in their personal and professional lives. The study underscores the need for targeting police in reducing sex workers' HIV and other risks. The case for police's role in generating risk is evident, which could be addressed through structural interventions targeting both police practices and policies.

Psychiatric Symptoms as a Predictor of Sexual Aggression among Male College Students

The goal of this investigation was to examine psychiatric symptoms as predictors of the frequency and severity of sexually aggressive behaviors that had been perpetrated by college-aged men in the past year. Over 400 undergraduate males completed an assessment of sexual aggression, athletic involvement, fraternity affiliation, alcohol and drug use, mistrust of women, depression, and social anxiety. More than 40% of the undergraduate men reported having participated in some form of sexual aggression within the past 12 months, 6% of whom reported having attempted or completed rape. Sexually aggressive behavior (both frequency and severity) was predicted by alcohol use, mistrust of women, and social anxiety. Results are the first to indicate that psychiatric symptoms might contribute to sexual aggression among college men.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN'S EXCLUSION OF WOMEN AND INCLUSION OF KIN AND MALES INTO THEIR SOCIAL NETWORKS: A MISTRUST OF WOMEN ISSUE?

In a previous study, a small group of rural African American women were found to have negative attitudes of mistrust of women, which influenced the size and composition of their social network. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to describe the size, gender, and kin composition of the social network of a larger sample of rural and small-city African American women and (2) to psychometrically evaluate the Brown Attitude toward Women (BATW) scale. Two hundred rural and small town women (both drug users and non-users) completed a paper and pencil survey. A large percentage (from 44–75%) of women completing the survey held negative attitudes toward other women, which were reasons they gave for excluding women from their social networks. The women's mistrust of other women appears to contribute to their small network size. Women with smaller social networks tended to include a larger percentage of males and kin within their networks. Research and clinical implications of this phenomenon are discussed.

Book Review: A model health system approach to gender-based violence

A model health system approach to gender-based violence VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: The Health sector Responds. Velzeboer M, Ellsberg M, Areas CC, Garcia-Moreno C Pan American Health Organization, Washington 2003. Occasional Publication No. 12. 131 pp. THIS EXCELLENT REPORT complements and extends World Health Organisation efforts to emphasise the importance of health sector reform to combat gender-based violence, outlined in the 2002 WHO World Report on Violence and Health. In this case the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) describes the process, experience and outcomes of model reform undertaken by a collaboration of government and non-government organisations in Central America to improve the health sector as part of an overall response to gender-based violence. For Australian readers interested in Australian health care reform, the value of this report lies both in the proposed model and processes used to drive the reform and the excellent resources section and bibliography. While the report cites the UN definition of violence against women (acts of gender-based violence resulting in harm to women) as the basis for its action, in fact the book addresses mainly responses to intimate partner violence. Section 1, The health sector responds to genderbased violence, profiles the evidence, rationale and processes of model development. The first chapter reviews the health outcomes of violence against women. The second describes findings of what is described as the 'Critical Path' studies in 10 countries. These summarise in-depth interviews with women and service providers in a range of government and non-government sectors about pathways for women and the services they access in order to leave a violent relationship behind. The analysis (unsurprisingly) identified, among other things, that the success of interventions depended on the availability, quality, and coordination of services and most of all on the commitment of providers. Chapter three then goes on to describe important factors (coalition building, legal reform, research dissemination, screening, surveillance and training strategies, etc.) utilised in the participating countries within the PAHO integrated model. This includes suggested strategies (eg, symposia, campaigns) to bring community, legal, education and health sectors together at national and regional levels. The authors argue for the overall incorporation of 'cross-cutting values' of gender equity, participation, and partnerships. Section 2, Lessons learnt from Central America, presents highlights from a participatory process evaluation in four of the countries. Chapter four reviews the legislative reform and other governmental policy changes and their limitations in these countries, which will be of limited interest to Australian readers. Chapter five is most useful, highlighting lessons from the PAHO evaluation of this integrated approach within the health system. The barriers to change are very familiar to Australian readers familiar with health system responses: unhelpful provider attitudes shaped by prevailing cultural norms; victimised women's mistrust of the health system, women's shame and embarrassment about disclosure; providers worried that screening would add another burden to their overstretched capacity; and some providers acknowledging that they have been the victims and abusers themselves. …

The place of the clock in pediatric advice: Rationales, cultural themes, and impediments to breastfeeding

This analysis treats the U.S. medical literature as evidence concerning the formal system of knowledge in allopathic medicine. An examination of pediatric advice on breastfeeding reveals the logic of medical reasoning, the use of scientific rationales, and the intrusion of specific cultural themes. The corpus of data includes works of 18 authors published in 36 volumes from 1897 to 1987, 27 volumes being editions of two major pediatric textbooks. All sources advocate breastfeeding but the detailed advice on how to carry out the process actually tends to undermine it. Moreover, the clock has provided the main frame of reference, creating regimentation reminiscent of factory work, segmenting breastfeeding into a series of steps, and emphasizing efficiency in time and motion. Feeding schedules were advocated in former decades as a matter of discipline for the infant, but nowadays they are viewed as biologically innate to normal infants and to breast milk production. The literature manifests responses over the century to behavioral, biochemical and physiological studies; however, except possibly for one textbook, no thorough rethinking has occured. Sources of the 1980s continue to focus on the tempo of feeding as a major concern. Cultural themes besides the factory model of breastfeeding include the extension of professional advice to family matters, the subordination of lay women to professional expertise, mistrust of women's bodily signals including the let-down reflex in determining the timing of feedings, mistrust of signals from infants as well, and a professional ideal of flexible advice coupled with rigid limits concerning schedules. The literature interweaves the cultural themes with rationales based on physiological studies in support of specific regimens in breastfeeding, and the relegation of control in breastfeeding to medical experts denies the validity of mutual bodily and emotional responses within the mother-infant dyad. Pediatric authorities thus participate in the selection of cultural themes emphasized in motherhood. Although the pediatric literature is not the only influence on physicians and women, it reinforces pressures on women regarding their orientations toward their infants and hence, may be expected to shape our views of infancy, motherhood, and humanity in general. The break from the bindings of schedules has been proclaimed at various points during the century; however, the clock ironically remains the major reference point in most pediatric sources today.