General Body Meeting

For the Women meets to inform the local community of the historical origins of violence against women, to discuss the current issue, and to propose solutions to counteract the problem. Monday, November 25, 2013

Patriarchal values that have become embedded into our culture:

It is the natural, God-given right of men to have power over women. The male head of a household should be in charge, hold all power, make the decisions, and be responsible for determining the actions and behaviors of those within the household. Masculinity should be defined by powerful characteristics: strength, agency, independence, power, control, and domination. Women pose a threat to male power and therefore need to be controlled. Femininity should be defined by weakness, passivity, dependence, powerlessness, and submissiveness. Female sexuality is a particular threat to male power and therefore should be under the control of men, specifically fathers and/or husbands. Sexual harassment, rape, physical violence, and any other fear-inducing tactics are legitimate and effective means to enforce male entitlements and to control women.

Commonly-Held Notions That Need to Be Re-addressed

Violence results from psychological abnormalities such as inadequate self-control, sadism, and psychopathology (Cardarelli 22).
o little scientific evidence that is able to link these personality traits with violence

Substance abuse
o no sufficient evidence to prove that violence stems from these tendencies

Men are biologically made to act more violently. Sociobiologists argue that the individuals are genetically coded in a particular way (Thorne-Finch 46). Their genetic makeup determines reproductive fitness, or how apt animals are to contribute genes to the next generation. Men produce a certain number of sperm each day, and it is in his best genetic interest to fertilize women (Thorne-Finch 47). Testosterone is a large contributor to male violence (Thorne-Finch 49).
o Hormonal factors may be related to increased violence, but there are social factors to take into consideration.

Sociobiology fails to take into account the many environmental factors that facilitate and encourage male violence.

*Defamiliarize oneself with the perceived causes of male violence. It is commonly thought that men are just born stronger; therefore, they are more violent. This perspective fails to account for the process of socialization. We must make the familiar strange by examining more in-depth causes of the violence. *

Factors that Play a Role in the Violence

Gender socialization Upbringing The peer group Mass media Pornography Witnessing domestic violence Experiencing abuse Socioeconomic status Channeling anger Expressing emotion Formation of conscience

Solutions

Socialize boys so that they know that insecurity, fear, nervousness, and vulnerability are legitimate emotions
Raise children in loving, safe homes Have teachers in school be more aware of the interactions of the classmates

Monitor childrens use of the media

Do not let domestic violence dominate the family. Look for ways to prevent the situation from getting physically abusive. Socioeconomic status

Channel anger in healthy ways outside of the home

Express emotion Educate and inform conscience