One of the most common sorts of violence nowadays takes place at home. In view of this problem, and bearing in mind the number of cases over the past years, Inmaculada Valor Segura, a member of the research group «Discrimination and Stigma: Psychosocial Aspects» of the Universidad de Granada, suggests that primary prevention is the only effective way to prevent domestic violence”. On the one hand, the measures should develop social awareness about the seriousness of this problem, and on the other hand, they should stop the incessant increase in statistics concerning domestic violence. In order to achieve these objectives «it is necessary to know and understand the factors which have an influence on violent attitudes towards women”. With this aim, Inmaculada Valor has carried out a study directed by the professor of the UGR Francisca Expósito Jiménez (who has been awarded Vth Research Prize “Juan Huarte de San Juan” in Applied Psychology, presented by the Official School of Psychology of Western Andalusia and the universities of Almeria, Granada, Jaén and Málaga.
Using different questionnaires, the researchers examined the social reaction caused by domestic violence and how people evaluate and justify it, in a sample of 702 participants between 11 and 82 years old. The participants were shown an episode from an actual transcript of a call made by a woman to a victim helpline. The researchers evaluated the attitudes towards this episode of violence against women and considered the reasons that the participants attributed to the man for behaving in that way.
Potential victims
Another variable considered is sexism, both hostile and benevolent. The results confirm the connection between sexism and other ideological variables (belief in a fair world, honour culture, religion) and the influences that these beliefs have on the attitudes towards an episode of domestic violence. According to Inmaculada Valor, “the results show that people with higher scores in gender ideology (sexism) legitimate to a greater extent an episode of domestic violence». Furthermore, women tend to react more negatively towards these episodes and men tend to attribute less credibility to the victim and are more prone to justify the aggression. It is interesting to stress that “those participants who did not find any reason for the aggression tend to have a more favourable opinion of the abuse».
The researchers state that the most negative perception towards domestic violence against women comes from negative attitudes towards women as a group. Women do not tend to blame victims for the situation. Inmaculada Valor explains that women tend to show a more favourable attitude towards the victim because they perceive themselves as possible potential victims”.
With regard to the social-demographic characteristics included in the study, the younger participants turned out to be the most sexist. For this reason, the researcher states that “it is vital to offer a formal education based on values of equality which reject violence as a means of solving conflicts”.
The researchers concluded that violence prevention intervention strategies have to be directed to the specific factors of the culture causes violence against women. In order to eradicate this sort of violence “each society has to explore itself and examine the values and beliefs which cause violence by men against women.”
Reference:
Inmaculada Valor Segura. Departament of Social Psychology and Methodology of Behavioural Science, Universidad de Granada.
Phone: 678 033 052
Email address: ivalor@ugr.es
