SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER ROLES

Capstone Final

Your Safe Haven Inc.

Brittany Harpster

Dr. McMahon
Sociology of Gender Roles
Allegany College of Maryland
Spring 2022

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 OVERVIEW

The gender role issues that I chose are:

 Gendered violence highlights not only the manner in which transgender people,

gay men, and women often experience violence, but also how violence takes
place more broadly within the context of a society that is characterized by a
sex/gender/sexuality system that disparages femininity, sexual minorities, and
gender minorities. (Wood 2012)
 Battered Women’s Syndrome (BTS), put forward by psychologist Lenore Walker,
describes a woman who “learns helplessness” and returns to her abuser because
he (in this theory, only men are abusers and only women are survivors) lures her
back with promises not to harm her again, yet continues to abuse her. (Wood
2012)

I chose this issue because I don’t think that there is enough awareness and
resources that are given to the public to bring awareness and education to the
general public. Unfortunately, this is something that occurs every single day and
it is important to spread awareness and make resources readily available for
those in need of services.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is defined as damaging acts perpetrated against a person

based on their gender. Gender inequality, power abuse, and destructive norms are at
the basis of it. This definition provided by the UNHCR provides a starting point for
understanding why primarily women are victims of this sort of violence. According to
statistics, 30% of women have been victims of violence, with the prevalence of violence
being higher in places with lower socioeconomic status.
Women have long been regarded as the more attractive but weaker gender, allowing
tradition to emerge and weave views that women are also a weaker gender. This belief

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has been passed down through the generations, and women are still considered
unequal in many fields of life today.
Women are unfortunately severely discriminated against in the healthcare industry.
From the fact that male doctors are thought to be more capable than female doctors by
healthcare workers and patients, to the reality that female patients frequently endure
sexist comments from everyone in the healthcare community. In addition to the
“traditional form of gender-based violence against women, “we also face violence
against non-binary and trans persons, and I feel like our society is deteriorating rather
than progressing in the twenty-first century.

NEWS ARTICLE

Gender-based violence against children is a crime against girls and boys that
“undermine the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims.” [iii] These acts
are perpetuated physically, sexually, psychologically and/or economically, and seek to
deny access to resources or services that may help lift a victim out of the cycle of
violence.

Violence against girls includes sexual violence, child marriage, sexual harassment,

female genital mutilation, intimate partner violence, trafficking, sexual exploitation
and abuse. The impacts are significant in both the short- and long-term, and can include
serious physical injuries, sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDs, forced and
unwanted pregnancies, and greater risk of maternal mortality[iv].

Boys are also victims of trafficking and gender-based sexual violence and exploitation,
but due to stigmatization, the numbers continue to be vastly underreported. Adolescent
boys over the age of 10 are also particularly vulnerable to being detained because they
are regarded as security threats for their – or their family’s – alleged association with
armed groups. Children are tortured or abused, kept with adult prisoners, not provided

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proper legal support, or live in conditions that are against international standards for
juvenile justice.

The threat of gender-based violence is pervasive and contributes to the end of

childhood for millions of children around the world, as shown by staggering global
trends: [iv]

 15 million girls are married before the age of 18 each year

 30 million girls are at risk of female genital mutilation in the next decade
 1 in 3 girls and women live in countries where marital rape is not an explicit
crime

Adding to the physical trauma of gender-based violence is the profound

psychological impact. The effect is often worsened by family and community
rejection. Girls and boys are frequently stigmatized in their communities when
they are suspected of experiencing sexual violence.

Due to their gender, girls are often forced to drop out of school, are prevented
from accessing income-generating opportunities, and ultimately face social
exclusion. The impact is even starker when girls become pregnant and become
trapped in a cycle of extreme poverty and increased vulnerability to exploitation.

MY NONPROFIT

 The name of the nonprofit that you chose. Your Safe Haven Inc.

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 What is the nonprofit's purpose and mission? 
Your Safe Haven, Inc. officially opened on July 1, 1996, as Bedford County’s
first comprehensive crime victims’ center. Your Safe Haven, Inc. is a non-profit
corporation working within Bedford County, PA. This program was based on
the basic beliefs that:
 All individuals have a right to live their lives free of emotional, physical,
and sexual violence.
 Violence in any form is not acceptable behavior.
 Communities have a responsibility to help victims of violence in their
neighborhoods.
  Violence traumatizes victims, family members and negatively impacts
children who observe or hear it.
 Family members of crime victims have a right to receive support.
 Societal norms and prejudices that condone violence in our society and
in our families must be stopped.
 The effects of violence do not only target individual victims but can
negatively impact their family.
 The impact of violence can be fear, loss of security and helplessness.
 Why did you choose it? I chose your safe haven because I have a few friends
and family members who seeked help through their organization, and I am
inspired by their mission.
 How does it relate to gender roles? Gender role expectations of women and
men are a major contributor to domestic violence. Gender roles are not only
different, but produce unequal outcomes, with men positioned as dominant
and women positioned as subordinate in family, social and cultural life. 
 What is the website address? https://www.yoursafehaven.org/
 What did you do for your 10 hours of service at the nonprofit? After
application, I am waiting on the trainings that are required to volunteer with
the organization.  After completion of training, I will commit to one (1) year of

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 volunteer service, providing at least four (4) hours per month. Additionally, I
will commit to attending a minimum of ten (10) hours of on-going
trainings/in-services per year.  
 Is the nonprofit listed on Guidestar.org - which would verify it is in good
standing? Yes.
 If not on GuideStar, how do you know this is a credible nonprofit? 
 Find a news article that talks more about the nonprofit and add it in here....
include a citation. https://www.yoursafehaven.org/19-myths-about-
domestic-violence/

This organization has been around since I was a child, and I never knew how to get
involved. I will absolutely stay involved with the organization after the semester ends.

RESEARCH

"Estimates from nationally representative surveys in the US suggest that 10% of high
school attending youth have experienced physical and/or sexual dating violence and
25% have experienced psychological dating violence in the past 12 months with
potentially severe negative sequelae including depression, substance use, injury, and,
in the most severe cases, death." (Reyes, H. L., Foshee, V. A., Chen, M. S., & Ennett, S.
T. 2017).

"Participants were asked to rate how much they blamed the perpetrator and the
victim. Male participants were less likely to blame the perpetrator in all cases. That is,
they seemed to identify with the more dominating role of perpetrator, regardless of
whether the perpetrator was male or female. This perspective moves researchers
beyond simplistic biological explanations for men's sexual aggression, to more
sophisticated understandings of power as part of the traditional male sex role."
(Dean, K. E. (2009)

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"Across studies that assessed men's victimization, they found lifetime prevalence
rates of total Intimate partner violence (where physical, sexual, and psychological
abuse were combined or not specified) were similar for men and women, with broad
ranges from 0.6% to 32% and 1.4% to 35.2%, respectively. Men reported significantly
more victimization in the past year compared with women, although no single study
reported a higher proportion of male victims compared with female victims. When
forms of abuse were examined separately, different patterns emerged. Men reported
more lifetime and past year physical violence, whereas women generally reported
more psychological IPV in the past 6 months, and, across studies, women consistently
reported higher rates of sexual victimization." (Hardesty, J. L., & Ogolsky, B. G.)
(2020).

 
SOCIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS

In this section, choose three to five key sociological concepts from your e-text that applies to
your issue. One of the concepts should be a theory. Describe each chosen concept and theory
- and explain why you decided to add it into this section of your paper.

Include a definition from the ebook for each concept/theory. Add an in-text citation after the
sentences where you provide the definitions for the concepts. ex. (Wood, 1992) Add a full
APA citation on the reference page for your e-text book.

The theory from the e-text should help explain your issue in more depth - specifically
explaining why the problem exists in the first place, and why it continues. Add an in-text
citation for the theory along with a definition.

Remember to:

-Write this section in paragraph form and connect your key concepts/theory together related
to your issue in a smooth and flowing manner - and explain how the concept and theory
offers more insight into your chosen issue and volunteer experience.

- Add thoughtful reflections about why you think each of the 3-5 key sociological concepts
and theories are important as related to your thinking about this issue.
 
CRITICAL THINKING

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In this section talk about your own thoughts and experiences related to the issue (but
remember please keep your personal information confidential), and why it is important
to continue working on elevating this topic in the community.
I have been a victim of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse since I was a child.
So, this topic really hits home for me. I was actually pondering the other day and 9 out
of 10 of the females I know have been in some type of abusive situation. Which could
include, sexual or physical or emotional abuse. Most of them haven’t told their story,
most of them did not report it because of fear of getting in trouble themselves, fear of
judgment, and fear of repercussion. That disgusts me, in the helping professional we
have the power to advocate for those women/men because that should never happen.
No one should be allowed to do that to another person and get away with it. I have
found out more information during my research regarding the perception that people
have and the reason why it is taboo information. I also found out during volunteering
that there are things set up and resources available for victim that make it so that it can
be passed in a discreet way or done in a discreet way. From handing resources o
someone, to the actual communication to authorities. I appreciate that they are able to
put things like that in place, but the issue still stands at the fear that so many victims
face. They need to know that there is a way you can report and talk about it without
fear. I am going to continue to volunteer and advocate for victims of abuse. Because
someone has to do something, 9 out of 10? Just in my personal life? That’s unacceptable.

REFERENCE PAGE

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Reyes, H. L., Foshee, V. A., Chen, M. S., & Ennett, S. T. (2017). Patterns of dating
violence victimization and perpetration among Latino youth.  Journal of Youth and
Adolescence,  46(8), 1727-1742. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0621-0

Dean, K. E. (2009). Increasing depth and breadth: Contributions to the study of

gendered violence: Violence and exploitation against women and girls. edited by
florence L. denmark, herbert H. krauss, esther halpern and jeri A. sechzer, boston,
massachusetts, blackwell publishing, 2006. 390 pp. $125.00 (paperback) 1-57331-667-
9.  Sex Roles,  60(3-4), 279-281. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9466-7

Hardesty, J. L., & Ogolsky, B. G. (2020). A socioecological perspective on intimate

partner violence research: A decade in review.  Journal of Marriage and Family,  82(1),
454-477. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12652

April 14, 2022 B. E. U., April 13, 2022 B. E. U., April 12, 2022 B. E. U., April 11, 2022 B. E.
U., March 11, 2022, March 3, 2022, March 2, 2022, August 9, 2021, & July 1, 2021.
(2022, April 12). Gender-based violence in the 21st Century. The European Sting -
Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business
& Technology - europeansting.com. Retrieved April 14, 2022, from
https://europeansting.com/2022/04/12/gender-based-violence-in-the-21st-
century/