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Gender Equality
Drew Barnette
Sociology
Steve Smith
May 1st, 2016
Violence against Women
What is it?
Violence against women (VAW) is violent acts specifically against women. It is considered a hate crime and is gender-based, meaning that women are targeted specifically because they are women. Many people find that it is an extreme show of manifestation of unequal powers between men and women. Statistics show that at least one out of three women are beaten, forced into sex, or abused in their lifetime by someone known to them.
Some forms of violence carried out by individuals includes rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, coercive use of contraceptives, female infanticide, honor killings, …show more content…
A combination of efforts that address income, education, health, laws and infrastructure can significantly reduce violence and its tragic consequences. To achieve change it is possible to address the situation, promote gender equality for all, support women, and help move towards more peaceful gender norms. People who partner with Governments, UN agencies, civil society organizations and other institutions to advocate for ending violence, increase awareness of the causes and consequences of violence and build capacity of partners to prevent and respond to …show more content…
– Intergenerational transmission of violence – Social learning theory can also be used to examine how the relationship between the victim and offender contributes to the cycle of violence: • Learned helplessness • Survivorship
• Personality Characteristics and Psychopathology – individuals who use violence against women have some sort of personality disorder or mental illness that might get in the way of otherwise normal inhibitions about using violence. – Those who engage in violent behavior are seen as sick individuals who are different from other people. – Focusing only on psychological factors tends to decrease the abuser’s responsibility for his actions.
•Biological – suggests that violence against women is related to the process of natural selection. Rape can be viewed as an extreme response to the natural selection pressure on men to reproduce combined with attempts by females to control the identity of their partner. – Biological and Neurological factors - Childhood attention deficit disorders and head injuries as risk factors – Eliminates responsibility for the