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Gender Attitudes and Violence Against Women

NCJ Number
238332
Author(s)
Melinda R. York
Date Published
2011
Length
167 pages
Annotation
This book describes the prevalence of violence against women, and locates its typical context of occurrence within the patriarchal society framework.
Abstract
This research determines whether or not patriarchy is still influential as it relates to the relationship between traditional gender attitudes and the incidence of violence against women. Results show a prevalence of traditional gender attitudes predicted rates of violence against women, specifically sexual assault and domestic violence, while social capital serves as a mitigating factor. In countries with less social capital and more traditional gender attitudes, there were substantial increases in sexual and physical assaults inflicted upon women by men. Chapter 1 discusses the historical and sociological background of traditional gender attitudes, and sets forth the societal origins of the cultural construct of gender. Chapter 2 examines the social context of the research and explores the more specific areas of gender attitudes, the social capital concept, and violence against women. Chapter 3 investigates social capital as it relates to social trust and violence against women. Chapter 4 discusses the data sources in the study and explains how the archival attitudinal date were collected, analyzed, and verified. Chapter 5 provides the findings of multiple statistical analyses examining the relationship among traditional gender attitudes social capital, physical, and domestic violence, and sexual assaults. Chapter 6 presents a summation of the research and its results, and a discussion of the theoretical and policy implications derived, along with some guidance for future research endeavors. Tables, figures, bibliography, and index