(VLS7) Gender-Based Violence in the Global South
Wednesday Jun 05 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm (Eastern Daylight Time)
Online via the CSA
Session Code: VLS7
Session Format: Paper Presentations
Session Language: English
Research Cluster Affiliation: Violence and Society
Session Categories: Virtual Session
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a global social problem, but it is more pronounced in many countries in the global south. Although rooted in socio-economic and gender inequities, several factors relating to weak implementation of domestic violence laws and lack of professional help contribute to entrenching GBV against marginalized populations. This session will accept papers that focus on the intersections of socio-economic, political, and cultural factors influencing GBV in the global south. Specifically, we seek studies that demonstrate how expectations of femininity and masculinity contribute to GBV, how weak implementation of domestic violence laws and lack of professional help legitimize GBV, and how the socio-economic factors and lineage identities shape the experiences of survivors of GBV. Consistent with the theme of the conference, we are equally open to papers that examine local resistances to GBV. Tags: Gender, Violence
Organizers: Alice Pearl Sedziafa, York University, Eric Tenkorang, Memorial University; Chair: Alice Pearl Sedziafa, York University
Presentations
Gervin Ane Apatinga, University of Saskatchewan
Empirical literature underscores the role of intimate partner violence in delaying womens access to antenatal care. However, scant scholarly attention has been dedicated to exploring these complex linkages, especially in Ghana, where male partner violence is a longstanding issue. Using data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (n=5167), this study aims to improve our understanding of the linkages between intimate partner violence and antenatal care access among Ghanaian women. Employing negative binomial Poisson and multinomial regression to explore relationships, key findings highlight the significant impact of intimate partner violence on antenatal care access. Results from the Poisson regression show the log expected counts of the number of antenatal care visits decreased among expectant mothers with a history of male sexual violence or physical abuse. Also, sexual or physical violence impacted the timing of antenatal care attendance, indicating delays in accessing care in the first trimester. Highlighting the impediment that intimate partner violence poses to antenatal care access, the study underlines its critical implications for maternal health outcomes. It emphasizes the importance for effective policies and programs to mitigate violence and enhance antenatal care access in support of SDG target 5.2.1 — eliminating violence against women and girls — and SDG 3 — ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. Our research is closely aligned with the Gender-Based Violence in the Global South cluster, with a particular focus on the prevalent issue in sub-Saharan Africa. Patriarchal sociocultural norms and gender inequalities create a context in which male partners frequently perpetrate violence against their female counterparts, exposing women to intersecting risks, including challenges in accessing adequate antenatal care. To effectively address male partner violence, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of this complex issue, including the linkages between such violence and antenatal care access. This understanding is crucial for developing integrated, cross-sectional intimate partner violence prevention programs. In the global community, where intimate partner violence is widespread, sharing ideas, approaches, and actions becomes vital in addressing this issue across diverse sociocultural and economic settings.
Non-presenting authors: Eric Y Tenkorang, Memorial University; Clifford Semabiah, Memorial University
Victor Agyei-Yeboah, Memorial University
In Ghana, as in much of the rest of Africa, the payment of the bride price is central to the marriage process. The bride price is the transfer of items and in some cases, money, from the groom’s family to the bride’s family to consolidate the conjugal union. In recent years, however, some scholars have argued that the institution of bride price has lost its cultural relevance, suggesting that the practice is contributing to women’s experiences of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in Ghana. While these studies offer some insights on bride price payment and IPV, none have examined how lineage influences such marriage payment arrangements across kin groups, and its implication on women’s experiences of IPV. The studies thus far, provide a generic understanding of bride price and IPV and have failed to discuss how, and in what ways lineage is likely to influence or interact with other existing social conditions to exacerbate IPV. This study fills this gap. This is particularly important given that lineage is the foundation upon which social relationships are organized, such as the payment of bride price and the performance of marital unions. Bride price payment culturally shapes women’s rights and responsibilities in marital unions which has implications for their experiences of IPV. Moreover, even though the payment of bride price is a common cultural practice across kin groups, its performance, meanings, and interpretations may differ across these groups owing to varied socio-cultural contexts. It is thus reasonable to surmise that the variations in the practice of bride price payment across kin groups could influence womens varying experiences of IPV in these groups. This study draws attention to the linkages between bride price and IPV, particularly how the different meanings and payments of bride price across kin groups might influence women’s experiences of IPV. Drawing on the cultural , feminist , and power theories, and based on in-depth interviews with twenty (22) ever-married women from matrilineal, patrilineal, and bilateral kin groups in Ghana, this study explored the influence of bride price payment on IPV. Data was analyzed thematically. The findings show that IPV occurred across all kin groups. Women in patrilineal societies narrated frequent incidents of emotional IPV which occurred as a result of verbal abuse from their partners; economic IPV as most of them reported being denied resources from their partners, and physical IPV. Women in matrilineal societies, on the other hand, recounted frequent forms of emotional IPV which were linked to non-consensual sex with their partners, which also resulted in economic IPV. In bilateral societies, women reported repeated patterns of emotional IPV, which was triggered by physical IPV, and accompanied by economic IPV. The expensive nature of the bride price particularly in patrilineal and bilateral societies was constructed as “wife ownership”, creating unequal gender power relations with implications for women’s IPV experience. Unpaid bride prices, according to some women in matrilineal societies, contributed to their experiences of IPV as this meant their partners had no direct responsibility for their wellbeing, hence the abuse. Thus, the payment of the bride price coupled with strong gendered norms in patrilineal groups served as a conduit for male authority, power and female subordination and subservience. Bride price is thus a powerful site for the (re) construction of male control and dominance to keep women subservient and to guarantee they adhere to patriarchal standards of male supremacy in patrilineal societies. The findings suggest that policymakers must pay critical attention to the nuanced meanings of bride price across kin groups and intensify public education on its cultural relevance to mitigate its negative consequences for women in intimate relationships. Consistent with the theme of this session, this paper explores how lineage norms, specifically bride price payment contribute to IPV or Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the Global South (Ghana). By exploring how bride price influences IPV across kin groups, this paper brings a new and different dimension to the discourse on gendered norms, lineage identities, and IPV in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Non-presenting author: Eric Tenkorang, Memorial University
Lydia Makaga, Memorial University
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) remains a serious public health problem and a development concern. The lifetime rates of physical and/or sexual IPV are the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania, IPV remains a significant problem with implications on gender equality. Approximately 40% of Tanzanian women aged 15 to 49 years experienced physical violence, and 17% of women experienced sexual violence at some point in their lives. Although previous studies confirm a high prevalence of IPV in Tanzania, scholarly research on this epidemic remains scant. Similar to other countries on the African continent, Tanzania is divided into several regional zones. These regions are further categorized into seven ecological/geographical zones: the Central, Western, Northern, Eastern, Lake, Southern, and Zanzibar. Besides ecology, Tanzania’s zonal/regional classifications are also based on linguistic and cultural similarities and differences. Although limited, previous research on IPV in sub-Saharan Africa shows ethnic and regional differences in the experiences of women. At the moment, no study has comprehensively examined regional differences in women’s experiences of IPV in Tanzania. This study fills a significant gap by using nationally representative survey data to examine regional variations in IPV in Tanzania and potential reasons for the differences. Feminist and cultural theories were used as frameworks for this work. Feminist theories view IPV as a social by-product of gender and power disparity between men and women in society. Cultural theories underline the importance of examining a groups beliefs, customs, and practices and how they relate to violence against women. This study used the 2015/16 Tanzania Demographic Health survey that interviewed a sample of 7597 ever-partnered women; and employed binary logistic regression techniques for analysis. Situated within feminist and cultural frameworks, we examined regional variations in IPV among Tanzanian women controlling for socioeconomic (employment status, educational background, and age), gender norms and life course characteristics ( husband’s controlling attitudes, justification for wife-beating, and husbands’ alcohol consumption). Descriptive results indicate women were about 32 years old when surveyed. Approximately, 36% of respondents reported physical violence, and 32% and 12% experienced emotional and sexual violence, respectively. Results show women do support patriarchal gender norms; they also thought their husbands were controlling (71%) and justified wife-beating (58%). The multivariate results showed that women in the Western and Lake zone were more likely to experience physical, emotional, and sexual violence compared to women in the central zone of Tanzania. Not surprising, women in the Lake Zone were very strong in supporting patriarchal gender norms and in justifying wife beating. Furthermore, the risk for IPV for Lake Zone women was exacerbated by their lower socio-economic status and they indicated their husbands were the most controlling. This might explain their increased susceptibility to IPV compared to women from other regional zones in Tanzania. Policymakers should emphasize cultural and linguistic factors when addressing and implementing IPV policies on IPV in Tanzania.
Non-presenting author: Eric Tenkorang, Memorial University
Zerrin Akter Anni, University of British Columbia
Hegemonic masculinity represents the idealized and culturally accepted notion of what it means to be a man in a particular society at a given time. It often involves characteristics such as strength, toughness, dominance, emotional resilience, and heterosexuality. This construct plays a pivotal role in shaping gender norms and behaviors, contributing to the prevalence of violence against women or any form of intimate partner violence. The concept of violent manhood further reinforces the idea that men should conform to a narrow set of behaviors that prioritize strength and toughness over qualities like empathy, communication, and emotional expression. In Bangladeshi society, the notion of hegemonic masculinity has been existing for a long time and it has contributed to serious forms of violence against women in recent years. While extensive empirical research has delved into the theoretical dimensions of violent manhood and hegemonic masculinity, much of this inquiry has been centered around Western societies. The exploration of historical and cultural contexts surrounding intimate partner violence in South Asia has been notably lacking, hindering attempts to contextualize gender norms and masculine characteristics in the region. This research seeks to address this gap by elucidating how the evolution of hegemonic masculinity and violent manhood is intricately linked to contemporary intimate partner violence in South Asia, particularly in Bangladesh. The methodology employed in this research involves a qualitative study based on secondary data analysis, incorporating theoretical insights from scholars such as Buttler, Connell, Sumerau, and others. By drawing upon established theories and frameworks, the research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between masculinity, violence, and intimate partner relationships in the Bangladeshi context. The findings of this research underscore a strong connection between physical violence perpetrated by men against their spouses and the perpetuation of a gender system and cultural milieu that rationalizes husbands dominance over their wives. It contends that the normalization of violence within intimate relationships is intricately linked to the perpetuation of hegemonic masculinity. The arguments are centred around the fact that the notion of masculinity is not just a static entity ingrained solely in the biological or personality traits of individuals. Instead, hegemonic masculinities are dynamic configurations of practices shaped by structural, cultural, and various other forces. These forces, in turn, may vary based on the unique gender relations within a particular social setting. By examining the nexus between hegemonic masculinity, violent manhood, and intimate partner violence, this research not only expands our understanding of hegemonic masculinity and violent manhood but also emphasizes the urgency of addressing these issues within the specific socio-cultural context of Bangladesh. The findings pave the way for further research and interventions that consider the unique cultural and historical factors shaping gender dynamics in Bangladesh. The implications of these findings extend beyond academia, calling for context-specific interventions and policies that aim to dismantle harmful norms. Moreover, this research serves as a crucial step towards fostering an environment where individuals can redefine their roles in intimate relationships, contributing to a more inclusive society.