Why does discrimination against women still exist?

Few people recognize that they discriminate, but the truth is that sexism against women is still there.

In the 21st century, acts of violence and discrimination against women continue to be a scourge in our society.. Specifically in Spain, more than 1,000 women have been murdered since 2001 at the hands of their partner or ex-partner, and 1.4 million have been victims of sexual violence. To appreciate the seriousness of the issue, you only have to ask the women around you if at any time in their lives they have felt harassed or sexually abused by a man.

Despite the fact that in several countries some progress has been made in terms of jurisdiction and equality, there are many elements that show that there is still much work to be done, especially in terms of education for equality with a gender perspective and social awareness.

Although the use of violence and discrimination against women stems from a variety of causes (individual factors is based on different and totally varied causes (individual factors, interactional causes -such as the transgenerational transmission of sexist values and operating patterns- and institutional causes), in this article we are going to refer explicitly to the cultural causes that sustain and maintain discrimination and violence against women: patriarchy.

What is patriarchy?

Many believe that patriarchy does not exist, that it is an exaggeration and/or a biased interpretation of reality. In our understanding, patriarchy is a form of social organization in which the social values associated with the male gender hold power and keep the values associated with the female gender subjugated. and keep the values associated with the female gender in subjugation.

In fact, machismo as a culture (and not as a behavior) is protected through the patriarchal model. Machismo is the social construction that understands masculine references as universal and unchangeable, unquestionable.unquestionable. That is why for many years there has been no strong and critical social reaction to gender violence, discrimination or harassment of women. Silence and justifications on the part of male chauvinist thought are necessary for the continuity of patriarchy.

It seems simple, but it is not: how does patriarchy materialize, what does it translate into, how is it evident in our lives? A very clarifying example, taken from Elena Garrido Gaitán, a great expert in the area, is the movie Matrix. Patriarchy would be like a set of norms, values and material dispositions. (distribution of private property, for example) that covers us constantly since we are born, is difficult to appreciate and evidence, and is totally rooted and universalized in society, so internalized that sometimes its very existence is denied. In order to be able to "see" it, it is necessary to make an exercise of awareness.

Following the patriarchal model, a "real" man has a penis, functions in a male gender role and is heterosexual. A woman, on the other hand, has breasts and a vagina, functions with the feminine gender role (in fact, the more feminine the more "real woman") and is heterosexual. If any man or woman dares to stray from this model, it is considered invalid or inauthentic.

What does patriarchy have to do with discrimination against women?

Surely many of you have asked yourselves how the patriarchal social model influences the emergence of dynamics of violence and discrimination against women.. It is not easy to answer this question, but we will try.

The patriarchy "constructs" us and shapes us as men and women, with our rights and obligations.with our rights and obligations: how we should be if we belong to one Biological sex or the other. We have a kind of predetermined script of how we should function in a couple relationship (men: strong, responsible, tough, not showing weakness...; women: devoted and caring, affectionate, submissive and obedient).

There are several elements that can lead men and women of the patriarchal model to a crisis.

Infidelity

Women being unfaithful to men poses a direct threat to their status of masculinity and power. On the other hand, the man's seduction of other women can increase his "power". (paradoxically, the woman is quickly labeled promiscuous, to say the least). To see this example in society, let's think about teenagers: how the peer group reacts to a boy who has flirted with 4 girls in the same night; now imagine if the one who has flirted with 4 boys is a girl.

Sex

The eternal preoccupation with male size and performance, as well as the number of sexual partners. In addition, thanks to the invisibilization of female masturbation the patriarchal fantasy that only a man could give pleasure to a woman (obviously, with his penis). (obviously, with his penis).

The expression of feelings

Men can only express feelings that show their power (joy, anger). There are other emotions that are misjudged as "weak", such as sadness, fear, and so on. In fact, many men show anger when what is really happening to them is that they are sad, afraid or ashamed.

Money

This element is an elongation of male power. It is a fundamental point in the psychological abusewhere it is the man who controls access to and distribution of money. It is a tool of brutal power, associated with the gender perspective.

The loss of power as a loss of masculinity

As we can see, some men are in constant search of power and its maintenance. But... what can happen when they feel that this power is being threatened or is in danger?

The last four factors above could be concentrated in this fundamental element for the genesis of gender-based violence: men's loss of power. What is at stake is the masculinity of the male, and this is where the danger lies. Unfortunately, some men use violence as a quick tool, some men use violence as a quick (and totally maladaptive) tool (and totally maladaptive) tool to return to "normality" (their normality: to continue to have the power granted to them by the patriarchal model within the relationship).

In cases of gender violence, the man perceives his victim as a threat, a danger that can generate an imbalance of power. On the first occasions it is usual that the way to reestablish power is subtle (e.g., with comments, attempts to control the victim's routines, uncomfortable silences, manipulation, isolation...). The fundamental problem of the aggressors consists in the inadequate interpretation of the threat. (is it really so threatening that the woman contradicts our scheme of functioning? why should things be as one has learned from childhood or as our family models reproduce?), as well as in her totally maladaptive and disproportionate violent response.

In stories of gender violence it is common to see how the violent dynamic was established gradually in the face of stressful events that involved a loss of control by the aggressor: loss of job (remember the importance of money), infidelity, birth of a child or pregnancy, abandonment of the partner...

Final conclusions: differentiated socialization

Almost automatically, we construct our social identity from a very young age according to the biological sex to which we belong (think, for example, of the typical Christmas games differentiated for boys and girls), and a series of specific gender expectations are attributed to us. and a series of specific gender expectations are attributed to us.. That is, I (as a woman or a man) know what is expected of me (emotionally, cognitively and behaviorally) depending on whether I am a woman or a man.

In this way, through differentiated socialization, based on emphasizing the differences between the sexes, dynamics of discrimination against women are normalized: there is no need to question inequality, it is assumed that it must be normal.

In reality, those ultimately responsible for the transmission of patriarchy to future generations are ourselves.Despite the fact that it surrounds us from the beginning of our lives, we are ultimately responsible for the transmission of patriarchy to future generations. To begin to create more egalitarian societies based on respect for human beings, and not on gender roles, we must modify both our way of thinking and the way in which we organize ourselves socially.