The relationship between violence and masculinity: Demistifying a commol place

AutorGiacoma Gabriele
Páginas3-35
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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VIOLENCE AND MASCULINITY:
DEMISTIFYING A COMMOL PLACE
Giacoma Gabriele1
PhD, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
RESUMEN
El presente trabajo aborda la cuestión de la relación entre violencia y
masculinidad, enmarcándola en el contexto de la violencia contra las mujeres. El
objetivo es generar una duda razonable que permita desarticular la supuesta relación
exclusiva entre violencia y masculinidad. La aptitud para actuar de modo violento es
una característica de los seres humanos, tanto hombres como mujeres; sin embargo, la
diferencia destacable radica en la diferente fuerza física que tienen unos y otras. La
cultura y la sociedad han incentivado que los hombres recurran a la fuerza y, al mismo
tiempo, han desalentado a las mujeres, con el resultado de que los primeros se han
convertido en más temibles y las segundas en más indefensas. Estos condicionamientos
han ayudado, en consecuencia, a crear estereotipos de género. En este contexto se puede
explicar el origen de las relaciones desiguales de poder entre los sexos. El punto de
partida del trabajo es el análisis conceptual de la violencia. A continuación, acudiendo
al preámbulo del Convenio de Estambul, se profundiza en los rasgos constitutivos de la
violencia contra las mujeres. El análisis requiere una aproximación multidisciplinar,
particularmente desde las ciencias sociales, la historiografía y las teorías feministas. Los
resultados del análisis se resumen en las conclusiones junto con propuestas para
desactivar la violencia entre sexos.
Palabras clave: violencia, masculinidad, estereotipos de género, fuerza
Indicadores JEL: D63, J12, J71, K33, K38
1 giacoma.gabriele@alu.uclm.es
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ABSTRACT
This work addresses the issue of the relationship between violence and
masculinity, framing it in the context of violence against women. The goal is to
insinuate a reasonable doubt that leads to disarticulate the alleged exclusive relationship
between violence and masculinity. The ability to act violently is a constitutive feature of
human beings, both male and female, however, a notable difference lies in the different
physical force they have. Culture and society have encouraged men to resort to force,
and at the same time have discouraged women, with the result that the former have
become more fearsome, the latter more defenseless. Such conditioning has therefore
helped to create gender stereotypes. In this context one could explain the origin of the
unequal power relations between the sexes. The starting point has been the conceptual
analysis of violence. Then passing through the preamble of the Istanbul Convention, the
constitutive traits of violence against women have been deepened. The insight required
a multidisciplinary approach, with particular recourse to social sciences, historiography
and feminist theories. The results were resumed in the conclusions along with proposals
to defuse violence between sexes.
Key words: violence, masculinity, gender stereotypes, force
JEL codes: D63, J12, J71, K33, K38
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1. INTRODUCTION
This work aims to deepen the relationship between violence and masculinity by
placing the analysis within the broader problem of violence against women. The aim is
to understand whether violence is a natural trait, i.e. a part of the life process, or a social
construct, i.e. a learned behavior, whether it concerns only men or also women. The
answer to these questions could lead to diametrically opposed solutions to gender-based
violence.
2. THE EVOLUTION OF MALE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. A
CONCEPTUAL POINT OF VIEW
In international law the expression "violence against women" doesn’t identify a
specific crime, it must be interpreted as a social-legal definition, a container that
includes within it a plurality of conducts (De Vido, 2016, p.25), some of which can be
configured as crimes others are not, although similarly deplorable, such as the gender
pay gap.
Regarding the characteristics, the nature, the constitutive features, so much has
been said and written; the public debates and the official texts of International
Institutions and agencies have not been spared; but despite the remedies and measures
adopted, the phenomenon has not stopped. Violence against women has distinctive
features that make its eradication complicated; it is multifaceted and can manifest itself
in different aspects and for this reason it is identified with many terms. The law and the
news tell us that violence can be physical, psychological, sexual or economic, but
looking in more detail, within the macro-areas that we have listed, we can identify a
large number of harmful behaviors such as sexual harassment, persecutory acts, forced
marriages, which involve both adult women and girls, often victims of genital
mutilation and harmful traditional practices. Some harmful behaviors mainly concern
the typically female reproductive function, such as forced or sex-selective abortions,
forced pregnancies, denied contraception, imposed sterilizations. Women can be forced
into sexual slavery for the purpose of prostitution or trafficking; moreover they are more
exposed during armed or latent conflicts to war and/or ethnic rape (Zupi, 2013, pp.2-3).

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