[Blog] In the context of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women : Hegemonic masculinity and gender-based violence 

On 7 February 2000, the UN General Assembly declared 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The objective is to raise awareness worldwide on the multiple forms of violence to which women are subjected in their daily lives. The theme for this year is "UNITE! Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women & Girls # No Excuse".

Indeed there should be no excuse in the light of the slew of laws that have been passed to eliminate this scourge,  the wide - ranging campaigns of sensitisation that have been carried out since a long time (and are still being waged unabatedly), and the overwhelming importance given to this issue by decision - makers , spate of  stakeholders and society at large.

Yet violence against women and girls, in all its latent and manifest forms, is continuing apace. It is estimated that one out of every four women, that is 27%, is a victim of domestic violence. The percentage is staggeringly higher if violence is considered in its varied and multifarious forms in multiplicity of places and set-ups. In Mauritius, according to a survey carried out by Afrobarometer in June 2022, gender-based violence (GBV) is  highlighted as a major issue that needs to be addressed by government and the society at large. 

To have a better understanding of this insidious phenomenon, it is important to decipher the why and wherefore of the stringent prevalence of GBV in society. We are tempted to attribute it to manifest causes such as alcoholism, drug-addiction, poverty, broken families, jealousy, infidelity and so on. No doubt, these are important causal factors. However, at the basis of widespread gender-based violence lie other deep- rooted causes.That is why UN has opined that the nature of GBV is often hidden.
  
There is no denying that one of the root causes is indistinctly linked to the very conception of masculinity and feminity as imagined by society. When someone is born, he or she is ascribed a particular sex, either male or female, depending on their physiology. On the basis of this ascription, different roles, attributes and behaviors considered to be appropriate to the male or female child are assigned and taught to them right from childhood.  This is how the concept of masculinity and feminity is built up.

This concept is not universal as it can differ from one society to the other. For example, among the Mbuti pygmies, both men and women hunt and share the responsibility for the care of children whereas among the Australian aborigines of Tasmania, women used to be the breadwinners. As a result, masculinity and feminity, or more simply gender, are socially defined.
 
However, in modern contemporary societies, the social construction of gender is based predominantly on the system of patriarchy which is defined by Pearse as "men's systemic dominance of women". This inevitably gives rise to what is known as hegemonic masculinity, a concept developed in 1995 by Connell who inspired himself from Gramci's definition of hegemony as an " ideological practice that sustains and legitimizes the interests of the powerful in society". The powerful in this case are males who have since their childhood been inculcated with the notion that the prized form of masculinity is the one that is associated with assertiveness, aggressively, dominance, remaining stoic in the face of adversity, refusal to display emotions in front of others, behaving machoistically and so on. 

These values have been legitimized by religious beliefs, customs and traditions and reinforced by literature, folklore, films and the media in general. It is not a surprise that to maintain hegemony, men very often resort to violence. It can be direct or indirect, manifest or latent, subtle or brutal, covert or open. Hence, violence against women manifests itself in different ways. This is further exacerbated by what is known as "emphasized feminities", that is women who have through the process of socialization internalized values such as male supremacy, female subordination, deification of husbands in some cultures, acceptance of male violence as normal part of life or as one's normal destiny. On one hand, dominance is inculcated in the male child; on the other, subservience is regurgitated in the psyche of the female child. From this differential treatment of boys and girls, male hegemony arises and female subordination takes place. This asymetry in the socialization process favors dominance and ultimately violence against women and girls. 

But no society remains static forever. Mentality evolves. Mindset changes. Education helps to bring  transformations. Hegemonic masculinity can morph into "transformative masculinity" which 
emphasizes respect, equality and dignity for all gender identities. 

This is the prime mission of Gender Equality Foundation (GEF), a non -profit organization which carries out sensitization campaigns that target both men and women with a view to bringing about transformational changes in the asymmetrical relationships and power dynamics that exist between males and females at all levels, and concomitantly aims at eliminating hegemony in favor of a gender - balanced egalitarian society. 

Azize Bankur 

(Volunteer of Gender Equality Foundation)