Psychology: Violence against women I
Humair Hashmi
The issue of gender-based violence has gained importance and currency in the last few decades. To say that it has become a focus of attention only in the recent past is not to say that such violence did not exist before.
The entry of more and more women into the job market is one aspect of globalisation; increased gender interaction is therefore becoming a norm of life. Consequently, as there are more opportunities for such interactions to become violent, gender-based violence has emerged as a phenomenon for social psychologists to observe, comment on, control and reckon with.
The psychology of gender-based violence, how it operates in our society and how it can be curtailed was under discussion at an electronic media workshop for rural journalists I attended recently; its theme was “Gender sensitive reporting/portrayal of women in media”. It was held by the Women Protection Project, Punjab, which was started in 2005 under the framework of the German Development Cooperation with Pakistan; one of its aims is to introduce and implement improved measures for the prevention of violence against women.
Gender-based violence is usually referred to as violence by men directed against women, though the reverse may also happen. But the violence perpetrated by men against women far exceeds the opposite. Therefore gender-based violence in social-psychological literature usually refers to the violence instigated by men against women.
A highly debated concept in social psychology these days is the question of sex versus gender. Sex refers to the biological quality of an individual whereas gender is determined by the roles a person plays and the expectations attached by others to that person. A person born in the female sex might play a ‘feminine’ role determined by others’ expectations of her. The role that she plays and the expectations that she fulfils form her gender identity. For instance, when a woman begins to wear a dupatta because it is expected or even demanded by her family members, she is recognising and acting to fulfil an expectation that comes with her gender identity. Similarly, boys are expected to wear shorts and not cry if they get hurt when playing.
Psychologists regard violence as an emotionally charged act marked by aggression, where the purpose is to debase, degrade, hurt or injure the victim. Violence in everyday life may be divided into physical violence and psychological violence. It may take place at home (domestic violence), at the work place and in other social situations.
The issue of gender-based violence has gained importance and currency in the last few decades: To say that it has become a focus of attention only in the recent past is not to say that such violence did not exist before. It is only to emphasise that in recent times, as more and more women have entered the job market and become exposed to different types of violence, the issue has become more pressing. Social positions and professions that were traditionally considered male domains in the past are now being taken over by women. We thus find an increase in the number of females working as engineers, architects, pilots and armed force officers. As a result, the overall job market share for women has increased.
The ILO’s yearbook of Labour Statistics reveals that in 45 of the 60 countries explored, up to 60% of all jobs were held by women. In 12 of these countries these percentages were more than 60% and ranged from 61% to 70% in some European and Asian countries. The upshot of all of this is that more and more women are leaving the so-called sanctuary of their home and experiencing the rough and humble environment of the job market. As a result, they are reaping the benefits of economic independence and greater professional satisfaction. However they are also being subjected to the hazards of such exposure. One such hazard is the violence perpetrated and directed against them.
Humair Hashmi is a consulting psychologist who teaches at Imperial College Lahore
Source: Daily Times
Date:6/21/2007
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