I share this small written piece about symbolic gender violence, because more than one woman hides her identity, because she knows society will punish her for expressing her sexuality so openly, we always fall into the same trap that a guy with 20 cuties is a cool pirate and a girl with a mullet is a nymphomaniac, and not people...it's not like that...that's also violence. Thanks for reading.
In our societies, there has been an important social sensitization due to the events that have occurred in recent years: dissemination of domestic violence problems by mass media, publication of some judicial sentences related to sexual aggression cases, inclusion of sexual harassment in the new Penal Code, etc. All social actors and institutions give extreme importance to this social problem and seek a way to solve or prevent it, but... What is understood by gender violence?
When we talk about gender, domestic, or family violence, an image of a man attacking a woman comes to mind. There is a collective imaginary and implicit ideological implications when discussing this topic, but if we really want to approach it, we should do the opposite: distance ourselves from all stereotypes, preconceived ideas, and social beliefs about this type of violence to discover what it truly holds.
Any act of violence based on gender that results in possible or real physical, sexual, or psychological damage, including threats, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether it occurs in public life or private life.
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (Res. A.G. 48/104, UN, 1994)
Therefore, the type of information we receive from the media only speaks to us about the violence suffered by a specific social group – women- due to aggressive behaviors by other social actors – men-, but it never tries to explain why these violent attitudes exist or the framework in which they develop. To understand these concrete patterns of behavior, we can do sociology and, to avoid falling into typical coffee shop and market chats, it is necessary to make an epistemological break. Thus, neither in mass media nor in the opinions of passersby can we find elements of reflection or explanatory factors for gender violence; we can only find social representations of this social fact and how it is seen by most citizens.
Aggression can occur as an attempt to dominate that rests on a collective imaginary originating from a patriarchal culture: sexual roles are stereotyped in the supremacy of men and the inferiority of women, even denying her condition as a person and reducing her to the condition of an object or thing that the man can and must control. Misogyny plays an important role when discussing this topic. The feminine gender has been instilled with characteristics that are not biological but defined by a masculine and macho view of the world, referring to social reproductive tasks (being mothers, wives, and homemakers, that is, cleaning, raising children, educating, caring, etc.). It's no coincidence that a very high percentage of women enroll in teaching and medicine careers. If a woman escapes this stereotype, she is autonomous and self-sufficient, which can produce rejection or frustration to her male partner if he has thoughts anchored in patriarchy, and may become the object of violent aggression, leaving it naturalized (the man may believe that the woman deserved this aggression, that it was 'just') according to these standards. Gender-based violence can be a means of power for the masculine gender in a culture based on gender inequality, clearly disadvantageing women. Here, social representations play an important role, as this violence is immersed in cultural history, not emerging spontaneously, and belonging to collective traditions and imaginaries. The decline of the patriarchal system may have generated a sense of inferiority in men, since the two pillars it was based on (control of women's fertility) Women on the part of men and sexual division of labor) are crumbling. 'Violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to the domination of woman by man, discrimination against woman, and obstacles to her full development. Violence against woman throughout her life cycle stems especially from cultural patterns, particularly the harmful effects of some traditional or customary practices and all acts of extremism related to race, sex, language, or religion that perpetuate the inferior condition assigned to woman in the family, workplace, community, and society' (UN, Beijing Declaration, 1995). Aggressive attitudes and violent actions directed against women are not the result of a lack of education or low social status, but rather originated by a patriarchal ideology that considers woman an object of property over which any type of authority can be exercised indiscriminately, punishing her if necessary for disobedient behavior.
Pierre Bourdieu explains the reproduction of domination relationships through symbolic violence exercised over the dominated and making appear as acceptable conditions of existence that are absolutely intolerable. Thus, masculine dominance and its imposition is a consequence of symbolic violence, a type of invisible violence even for its own victims. There are women who excuse or consider it not very serious when their partner puts his hand on them or, if we want to put a more pleasant example, comment with friends that their husband is funny and exasperated when, for instance, he does the dishes or sweeps the house. As we can see, the strength of this dominance lies in being admitted and recognized by the dominated, in this case, women. Bourdieu refers to this aspect of masculine dominance when speaking of symbolic violence, ideological acceptance through beliefs and feelings in the production and reproduction of male superiority as a central aspect of the established order.
The natural difference between men and women is transferred to society in the form of inequality and hierarchy that pivots on the gender axis. Biological and social aspects are condensed and fused to justify the created inequality by men and ratified by culture, making it seem necessary and positive for social organization. Generation after generation, men and women are convinced that this is so, has always been so, and will continue to be so. These relationships tending towards perpetuity are maintained thanks to the role of certain institutions and social spheres: from school to the labor market. Therefore, excessive importance must be given to socialization processes, i.e., the differentiated social construction between men and women
In this sense, the man who commits these violent and aggressive acts is presented as responsible, along with the ideas, beliefs, and values that sustain the patriarchal system, since they can naturalize or legitimize such actions. Although a man may attack a woman, he may think he's not doing anything wrong; he's simply acting as he should. Therefore, this type of behavior can be the result of certain norms, stereotypes, myths, values, and expectations that stand out in Western and patriarchal society, based on the domination of men over women.
José Gutiérrez, Sociologist collaborator at CONVOZ Association
In our societies, there has been an important social sensitization due to the events that have occurred in recent years: dissemination of domestic violence problems by mass media, publication of some judicial sentences related to sexual aggression cases, inclusion of sexual harassment in the new Penal Code, etc. All social actors and institutions give extreme importance to this social problem and seek a way to solve or prevent it, but... What is understood by gender violence?
When we talk about gender, domestic, or family violence, an image of a man attacking a woman comes to mind. There is a collective imaginary and implicit ideological implications when discussing this topic, but if we really want to approach it, we should do the opposite: distance ourselves from all stereotypes, preconceived ideas, and social beliefs about this type of violence to discover what it truly holds.
Any act of violence based on gender that results in possible or real physical, sexual, or psychological damage, including threats, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether it occurs in public life or private life.
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (Res. A.G. 48/104, UN, 1994)
The mass media and public opinion
Part of the population constructs its opinions through the news offered by the media. Therefore, if you allow me, I will unite both social spheres. Television, radio, and press emphasize two unique pillars: the concrete event itself and the number of women killed after a year. They inform us about the modus operandi – he gave her 5 stab wounds, poured gasoline on her, and set her on fire -, the aggressor – a 40-year-old man..-, the neighborhood where it occurred – in an outer suburb-, the opinion of the neighbors – he was a very nice man, always helped me carry my shopping bags – environmental factors, etc. The victim has more prominence as a number that swells the list of murdered women – Jessica Pérez is the 52nd woman killed this year- than as an individual subject in itself. This is the classic information cut-off that any medium of communication can offer.Therefore, the type of information we receive from the media only speaks to us about the violence suffered by a specific social group – women- due to aggressive behaviors by other social actors – men-, but it never tries to explain why these violent attitudes exist or the framework in which they develop. To understand these concrete patterns of behavior, we can do sociology and, to avoid falling into typical coffee shop and market chats, it is necessary to make an epistemological break. Thus, neither in mass media nor in the opinions of passersby can we find elements of reflection or explanatory factors for gender violence; we can only find social representations of this social fact and how it is seen by most citizens.
Concepts and aspects linked to this type of violence
The responsible parties for half of the violent deaths of women worldwide are husbands, ex-spouses, boyfriends, and cohabitants (World Health Organization's Global Report on Violence and Health, Brussels, October 2002)Aggression can occur as an attempt to dominate that rests on a collective imaginary originating from a patriarchal culture: sexual roles are stereotyped in the supremacy of men and the inferiority of women, even denying her condition as a person and reducing her to the condition of an object or thing that the man can and must control. Misogyny plays an important role when discussing this topic. The feminine gender has been instilled with characteristics that are not biological but defined by a masculine and macho view of the world, referring to social reproductive tasks (being mothers, wives, and homemakers, that is, cleaning, raising children, educating, caring, etc.). It's no coincidence that a very high percentage of women enroll in teaching and medicine careers. If a woman escapes this stereotype, she is autonomous and self-sufficient, which can produce rejection or frustration to her male partner if he has thoughts anchored in patriarchy, and may become the object of violent aggression, leaving it naturalized (the man may believe that the woman deserved this aggression, that it was 'just') according to these standards. Gender-based violence can be a means of power for the masculine gender in a culture based on gender inequality, clearly disadvantageing women. Here, social representations play an important role, as this violence is immersed in cultural history, not emerging spontaneously, and belonging to collective traditions and imaginaries. The decline of the patriarchal system may have generated a sense of inferiority in men, since the two pillars it was based on (control of women's fertility) Women on the part of men and sexual division of labor) are crumbling. 'Violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to the domination of woman by man, discrimination against woman, and obstacles to her full development. Violence against woman throughout her life cycle stems especially from cultural patterns, particularly the harmful effects of some traditional or customary practices and all acts of extremism related to race, sex, language, or religion that perpetuate the inferior condition assigned to woman in the family, workplace, community, and society' (UN, Beijing Declaration, 1995). Aggressive attitudes and violent actions directed against women are not the result of a lack of education or low social status, but rather originated by a patriarchal ideology that considers woman an object of property over which any type of authority can be exercised indiscriminately, punishing her if necessary for disobedient behavior.
Symbolic Violence
Historically, the recognition of violence towards women has been invisible and naturalized, making it difficult to perceive this social problem. An epistemological obstacle is that this violence occurs within the familiar sphere, which represents a social institution with associated values we all know. Against this biased view of reality, it can be hard to observe the unpleasant and harmonious face of family and see it as a space reproducing inequality where violent conflict resolution among its members may occur. We must also add the naturalization of violence within the familiar sphere: how many times have we heard that a slap on the cheek of a child at the right time can resolve many future problems in their education, if you can hit a child, by extension, you can also hit an adult family member.Pierre Bourdieu explains the reproduction of domination relationships through symbolic violence exercised over the dominated and making appear as acceptable conditions of existence that are absolutely intolerable. Thus, masculine dominance and its imposition is a consequence of symbolic violence, a type of invisible violence even for its own victims. There are women who excuse or consider it not very serious when their partner puts his hand on them or, if we want to put a more pleasant example, comment with friends that their husband is funny and exasperated when, for instance, he does the dishes or sweeps the house. As we can see, the strength of this dominance lies in being admitted and recognized by the dominated, in this case, women. Bourdieu refers to this aspect of masculine dominance when speaking of symbolic violence, ideological acceptance through beliefs and feelings in the production and reproduction of male superiority as a central aspect of the established order.
The natural difference between men and women is transferred to society in the form of inequality and hierarchy that pivots on the gender axis. Biological and social aspects are condensed and fused to justify the created inequality by men and ratified by culture, making it seem necessary and positive for social organization. Generation after generation, men and women are convinced that this is so, has always been so, and will continue to be so. These relationships tending towards perpetuity are maintained thanks to the role of certain institutions and social spheres: from school to the labor market. Therefore, excessive importance must be given to socialization processes, i.e., the differentiated social construction between men and women
In this sense, the man who commits these violent and aggressive acts is presented as responsible, along with the ideas, beliefs, and values that sustain the patriarchal system, since they can naturalize or legitimize such actions. Although a man may attack a woman, he may think he's not doing anything wrong; he's simply acting as he should. Therefore, this type of behavior can be the result of certain norms, stereotypes, myths, values, and expectations that stand out in Western and patriarchal society, based on the domination of men over women.
José Gutiérrez, Sociologist collaborator at CONVOZ Association
15 comentários - Violencia de genero simbólica
Felicitaciones por el aporte!!!!
Muy buena la info y muy interesante el tema Pao...!!! Excelente post!!! 👏 👏 👏
La violencia se legitima con el paso del tiempo, y nosotras cómo mujeres, somos las que debemos romper con esos esquemas!
Excelente Pao!!
pero por suerte se estan viendo cambios y el rumbo creo que esta trazado
reco ,puntos y besos Misko
Muy buen aporte
Gracias por compartir
Micromachismo hay en mujeres que llaman PUTA a otra, por su comportamiento sexual y/o social, por su vestimenta, por su forma de hablar, por tener muchos amigos varones.
Y si sumamos esos micromachismos llegamos a conformar el gran arbol misogino que hay en esta sociedad heteropatriarcal (porque no nos olvidemos la degradación que sufren las personas homosexuales), y nosotras siempre, pero SIEMPRE somos señaladas, quemadas, golpeadas, humilladas, vejadas, etc.
Gracias por tu post Pao.
Te felicito
El poder arbitrario constituye una tentación natural para un príncipe, como el vino o las mujeres para un hombre joven, o el soborno para un juez, o la avaricia para el viejo, o la vanidad para la mujer.
sigue así y jamas pierdas la humildad, solo los grandes dan las gracias.