Contemporary Gender study

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background

The concept of Gender study has assumed an over whelming significance today, ranging from women’s studies, feminism, gender and political issues, men studies and also extending to women suffrage. The term Gender studies according to Wikipedia is a field of interdisciplinary study and academic field devoted to gender identity and gendered representation as central categories of analysis. The word Gender is important in the comprehension of the above definition. The word (Gender) deals with what makes an individual male, female and in between (The third gender or homosexual). Irrespective of the fact that gender deals with both male and female, many Academicians, Gender activists, writers and so on put more emphasis on the feminist theory and female suffrage. There is no doubt that women for a long time have gone through a lot of discrimination and abuse but it will be myopic to think that some men do not go through the same ordeal or even worst. People over the years have nursed the ideology that the male is the stronger sex but there is always an exception to every situation. Many men in our contemporary society have become subject of abuse in their homes because they are not able to carry out their roles as husband or men for various reasons. Many individuals both in the academics and otherwise have become stereotypical and one sided when it comes to gender studies and gender theory.
Irrespective of the fact that some universities have introduced Men studies in their gender program, so many institutions have not especially in Africa. Literary works both African and otherwise have succeeded in painting the picture that men are “demons” while women are “angels” and the weaker sex. In the reality of things both men and women suffer discrimination as a result of their gender, domestic violence that is both physical and verbal and so many other disturbing gender issues.
When it comes to discrimination as regards to gender and human rights discrimination men are also at the receiving end. There are certain jobs that are usually not associated with men as a result of gender.

1.2 Statement of Problem
A large number of people have the ideology that men are the stronger sex and do not face any form of gender discrimination, crisis or violence because they have been perceived over many centuries as the “aggressive gender”. The above ideology should be changed because it is myopic and stereotypical. It is not to be argued that women have faced a lot of Gender related stereotype but things have changed as a result of feminist movement. It is important to note that male gender should not suffer so that the female gender to be liberated.
As a result of radical feminist movement, not only has the rights of men been neglected women have missed used the privileges that have gotten as a result of the feminist movement. It is sad to think that when it also comes to literary criticism many critics tend to shy away from the problems that come with being men.
So many people have become blind to the problems that men face on daily basis. Many men are victims of domestic abuse (physical and verbal) and they have little or no help on how to deal with this problem. According to an article on www.clarkprosecutor.com in their articles on Men as victims of domestic abuse it was stated that “Every year in the U.S., about 3.2 million men are the victims of an assault by an intimate partner. Most assaults are of a relatively minor nature such as pushing, shoving, slapping or hitting, though many are more serious - and some end in homicide”. 3.2 million is a large number and we do not hear of this because the people involved are men. Facilities and aid for abuse men are marginal and it is a topic that men do not want to talk about.
It is not a surprising issue that

1.3 Aim and Objectives.
The aim of this study is to bring to the lime light Several gender problems face by men and how they can be solved. The specific objectives of this study are as follows:
a. To prove that men are at the receiving end of domestic violence.
b. To prove that men are in crisis.
c. To examine the reason why men do not speak out about domestic violence.
d. To examine several gender stereotypes faced by men.

1.4 Research Questions
a. What is domestic violence and the different forms faced by men?
b. What does it mean for men to be in crisis and what kind of crisis do men experience?
c. Why do men not speak out about domestic violence?
d. What is gender stereotype and examples of Gender stereotype?