Connection between gender roles and violence against women Essay

Connection between gender roles and violence against women - Essay Example This essay "Connection between gender roles and violence against women" outlines the power of gender roles in society and how it is linked with violence against women. One does not need to look very hard in order to find a situation in which gender roles encourage a level of abuse and violence towards women. The young girls are told from the very earliest of ages that it is not ladylike to raise their voice or command in a demanding tone. Although it is possible that the same advice is given to young boys, it is far less common. Competition and demanding attitudes within boys is oftentimes encouraged; not only within the home but within a litany of sports programs and competitive engagements that these young boys are encouraged to take part in. In short, the children of our society are predisposed to an understanding of the fact that girls should be tended and shy by nature whereas boys should be boisterous and demanding; exercising a will to power over society and their own individu al wants. Of course, the same can be true with regards to sex and the means by which children are taught expected behavior with regards to sex. By and large, abstinence is most strictly promoted for girls as chastity is viewed as something of a feminine virtue. Although this is partly the case for boys, the level and extent to which this is evident is greatly reduced than the level and extent in which it is exhibited and girls. What such a differential suggests is that boys will be boys and should and probably will engage in a high number of sexual activities. prior to some form of monogamy. However, women should not be in charge of their own sexuality and perhaps cannot even be trusted to be in charge of it; thereby demanding that they remain chaste and abstinent. Returning to the power dynamic that boys and men are instilled with a nearly every aspect of world culture, one can see the way