The term ‘gender-based violence’ has made headlines in recent years, describing a whole host of abusive and criminal acts, ranging from catcalling to murder. The motives behind this type of violence are highly complex; it is the result of the differences between typically male and female ways of thinking, feeling, and acting, and is complicated further by gender stereotypes. Although gender-based violence affects both sexes, the majority of victims are female, and Carlotta Vagnoli’s accurate analysis is aimed at getting to the heart of why.
Stereotypes are deep-rooted and idealised opinions, which are formed through a process of oversimplification. One such classic example is the misguided concept of Italy having nothing to offer the world other than pizza, the mandolin, and the mafia. Stereotypes can also be found in the way we perceive sexual and gender identity.In other words, gender stereotypes only recognise two categories of individuals, defined according to biological characteristics, that is men and women, and completely overlook transsexuals, for instance. What’s more, each gender is usually believed to have certain traits, which vary from culture to culture. There is, however, something that all patriarchal cultures share: they label women with qualities such as beauty and sensitivity, while men are thought to be strong and secure. If we just think about the countless haircuts, clothes, or games that are considered normal for one gender and not the other, or the use of the colours pink and blue, we realise that this list of standards is very long, and it is highly likely that we have been brought up in the modern Western world to accept them. This process of categorisation begins in childhood when, according to a series of expectations, we are told, for instance, that boys do not cry and that girls must be passive. So, instead of embracing our unique feelings and thoughts, we conform to standards that legitimise a very specific social and patriarchal structure
The author maintains that stereotypes are the ideological preconditions that lead to violence, and all anthropological data and research confirms this theory. The connecting factor is the so-called ‘rape culture’.