Types of gender violence, definition and its characteristics

Gender-based violence is an issue of vital importance that it concerns us all equally. It is a problem that continues to seriously affect a part of the population and that continues to be deeply rooted in our society.

It starts with the most normalized behaviors, such as a joke or a mockery, but its consequences can be fatal, even lethal. In Spain, for example, 49 people died in 2017¹ because of gender violence and in Mexico seven women are murdered every day² for the same circumstances.

It is very important to learn to detect it in time, whether you are suffering it yourself or if you think that someone in your environment may suffer it. To do this, in this Psychology-Online article, we will show you the different Types of Gender Violence and their Characteristics.

Index

1. What is Gender Violence?
2. Causes of gender violence
3. Types of Gender Violence and their Characteristics
4. You are not to blame

We can define gender violence, also called sexist violence, as any act that

Sometimes it is very difficult to tell when we are being abused because we do not know to what extent it is. To do this, we can use some very simple premises: if it makes you feel bad, if you feel attacked, if you are afraid or if, directly, you have suffered an attack, it is gender violence.

Sometimes we often wonder why it happens to us, what we have done to suffer abuse or mistreatment. The reality is that the causes of gender-based violence have social roots and stem from the Inequality between men and women. These inequalities are strengthened and are maintained because of the stereotypes and gender roles, which put women below men in all (or almost all) aspects of her life.

Many times, the person who attacks does it to maintain power and dominate the other. The aggressors often have problems of insecurity, low self-esteem and have received an education in which certain types of gender violence are normalized.

In relationships, for example, it usually occurs in a subtle way at the beginning, controlling with who speaks and how she dresses, up to insults, shouting and, finally, violence physical.

1. Physical Gender Violence

Probably the most recognized type of Gender Violence, this involves the use of the body or other objects that can cause damage to the victim's body. We distinguish aggressions such as punching, shoving, slapping, or scratching towards the woman. This type of violence can leave visible marks that, at times, victims of gender-based violence cover up or lie about its origin for fear of possible reprisals.

2. Psychological Gender Violence

This type of abuse is more common than we can imagine. They are acts that cause emotional and psychological damage the victim, usually have sequelae such as anxiety, depression and a very low self esteem. We talk about acts like name calling, teasing, yelling and threats.

Psychological abuse It is very dangerous and completely annuls the woman, making her live in fear and feel alone, without hope and believe that no one can help her.

3. Sexual violence

This type of violence encompasses all acts of a sexual nature that do not imply the consent of the victim, or that if the victim has agreed, it is because she has received threats and intimidation. The most obvious type of sexual violence is rape. Normally, we talk about abuse outside the partner but, sometimes, sexual violence can occur within it.

4. Economic / Patrimonial Violence

We speak of economic violence when we encounter barriers, imposed by the abuser, to be able to access our money or our resources to get it. Being coerced into not working and staying at home or having credit cards controlled are very clear examples of economic violence.

5. Symbolic Violence

In some countries, symbolic violence has been recognized as one more type of gender violence. We use this term to speak of all acts that, indirectly, help to keep women in a position of inferiority in society. An example that helps us to see this type of gender violence is the imposition of beauty standards that we must follow. This, at times, can generate discomfort and very serious psychological consequences.

6. Social violence

We understand by social violence, when the aggressor humiliates, attacks and exposes the victim in a public environment. We also consider social violence to isolate the victim from her friends and family since, in this way, she distances herself from all her usual surroundings. It is strongly related to psychological gender violence since it also causes serious consequences on mental health of the woman.

7. Obstetric Violence

This type of gender violence it occurs in hospitals and other health institutions. It occurs when doctors or health personnel point out to us as pathological or bad some natural processes of our body. By pointing them out as bad, they proceed to make painful and unnecessary interventions on our bodies. It is usually during pregnancy and we find examples like.

• Make a cesarean section without justification medical
• Unnecessary use of forceps
• Criticism of the state of pregnant women
• Deny you information about your health status
• Expedite labor without consent of the pregnant woman

8. Vicarious Violence

A third factor intervenes in this type of gender violence: children.

Vicarious violence consists of use children to harm their mothers, either through threats, insults to them or even physical attacks. The aggressors seek to control and dominate the woman so that she does not separate from them, or does not report her actions, through fear that something bad will happen to her children.

Finally, comment that if you are suffering gender violence, do not feel guilty about it. You have not done anything to deserve it and if you must act in time it is to be able to get out of this situation as soon as possible. The responsibility is the abuser and not yours.

Seek help, tell your situation to other people so that they can help you in everything you need and if you see it relevant, report the person who is exercising gender violence. You are not alone.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Types of gender violence, definition and its characteristics, we recommend that you enter our category of Social psychology.

1. National Citizen Observatory of Femicide ©
2. Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, Government of Spain.