Social Normalization of Abuse
“Gender equity means being fair to women and men. To ensure fairness, measures are often needed to compensate for historical and social disadvantages that prevent women and men from otherwise operating as equals. Equity leads to equality. Gender equality means that women and men enjoy the same status and have equal opportunity to realize their full human rights and potential to contribute to national, political, economic, social and cultural development, and to benefits from the results”
(CIDA, 2013)
Hegemony is dominance or strength over something, so if there is dominance in terms of populations, they will not speak up and if they are not complaining then it must be okay. This is an inherent part of hegemony and hegemonic practices. If violence is normalized there’s less social support. If it’s seen as a common practice then it’s difficult to prove that it’s a wrongdoing. This idea of hegemony inherently fits with Kim and Motsei (2002) article on “women enjoy punishment”. On the contrary, I believe that hegemony is normalized, and if often not challenged. It becomes an accepted norm that further perpetuates gender inequity. The actions and enactment that occurs is not targeted to the individual but rather due to their gender, and this then becomes problematic.
Hankivsky & Christoffersen (2008) try to interpret and uncover multiple intersecting systems of oppression/privilege. They state that there are multiple social locations that can lead to oppression. Typical research approaches makes it challenging to capture intersections/complexities. Hankivsky & Christoffersen (2008) also look at the connection between poverty and abuse, where lower income females are at a greater risk for being abused.
In the case of the UBC Student Blinded in Bangladesh video, it is hard to uncover the systems of oppression. Acid attacks are normalized in countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan as marriage dowries legitimize marriage through ownership, and poverty often perpetuate the cycle of abuse. Women are therefore seen as objects rather than as people. Bangladesh is a country where hegemony is evident and the “normalization” of this has seen many cases where abuse is normalized. I believe “justified punishment” is wrong and goes against what CIDA has defined as engaging in gender equality.
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