Domestic violence is prevalent in societies with a lenient attitude towards perpetrators
A woman’s tendency to be in a violent relationship and justify maltreatment from partners may be learnt by observing or experiencing corporal discipline and violence in childhood. Furthermore, women from rural areas in South Africa who are exposed to traditional practices and groups may often justify domestic violence. Traditional norms such as “standing by your man” teach women that they are often expected to silently suffer any violence or ill- treatment their husbands choose to inflict upon them in marriage. In rural South Africa, the cultural norms teach children that women are to be docile, submissive, patient and tolerant of monotonous work. Violence leads women to justify men using violence against them. appropriate and inappropriate behaviour, governing what is (and is not) acceptable. For example, in South Africa, cultural and social norms justify GBV and inequality by evoking traditional beliefs and practices about how women and girls should be treated. The following factors play a significant role in justifying domestic violence in South Africa: Violence is not new to children who have grown up in marginalised communities in South Africa, where violence is introduced and normalised at a very young age. Cultural and social norms are deeply rooted within the family background and are highly influential in shaping individual behaviour, including violence. These norms offer social standards of
Research studies indicate that both men and women believe that domestic violence is justifiable under different circumstances, including challenging the husband’s manhood, disobeying the husband, failing to meet the husband’s expectations, and refusing to have sexual intercourse with the husband. “The first act of violence that patriarchy demands of males is not violence toward women. Instead patriarchy demands of all males that they engage in acts of psychic self- mutilation, that they kill off the emotional parts of
themselves. If an individual is not
successful in emotionally crippling himself, he can count on patriarchal men to enact rituals of power that will assault his self- esteem.” bell hooks (The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love, 2004)
November 2023 | Collective Action Magazine
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