The Rising Violence against women in India
Author
Acharya, Ashish
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2014
Submitted on
2014-06-30
Pages
61
Abstract
Indien har opnået betydelig social og økonomisk fremgang det seneste årti, men samtidig viser rapporter, at kønsbaseret vold mod kvinder også er steget i samme periode. Verdenssundhedsorganisationen (2005) betegner vold mod kvinder som et alvorligt folkesundhedsproblem og en menneskerettighedsudfordring, og data fra National Crime Records Bureau (2011) rapporterer en stigning på 900 procent i kønsrelateret vold. Denne kvalitative undersøgelse bygger på sekundære kilder for at belyse, hvordan og hvorfor sådan vold finder sted i Indien. Med patriarkat- og feministisk teori som hovedperspektiver undersøger studiet både økonomiske og kulturelle forhold: den kønnede arbejdsdeling, hierarkiske familiestrukturer, slægtskabsnormer som præference for drengebørn, kontrollen over privat ejendom og hvordan statens tiltag kan styrke eller svække kvinder. Det ser også på, hvordan begrænset adgang til samfundets institutioner ofte giver kvinder ringe indflydelse på beslutninger. Overordnet argumenterer studiet for, at samfundets strukturelle rammer former de værdier og forestillinger, der knytter sig til kønsroller, og dermed fastholder ulige magtforhold. Det peger desuden på, at undertrykkelse og vold mod kvinder i Indien hænger sammen med en historisk konstrueret patriarkalsk orden, forankret i visse sociokulturelle praksisser inden for hindu-kulturens rammer, samt med brugen af køn, klasse og kaste til at placere mennesker i et hierarkisk socialt system.
India has seen notable social and economic progress over the past decade, yet reports indicate that gender-based violence against women has also risen during the same period. The World Health Organization (2005) identifies violence against women as a serious public health and human rights issue, and data from the National Crime Records Bureau (2011) report a 900 percent increase in gender violence. This qualitative study draws on secondary sources to explore how and why such violence occurs in India. Using patriarchy and feminist theory as its main lenses, the study examines both economic and cultural factors: the gendered division of labor, hierarchical family structures, kinship norms such as a preference for sons, control over private property, and the ways state actions can empower or disempower women. It also considers how limited access to public institutions often leaves women with little influence in decision-making. Overall, the study argues that structural arrangements in society shape beliefs and values about gender roles, which in turn sustain unequal power relations. It further suggests that the oppression and violence experienced by women in India are connected to a historically constructed patriarchal order rooted in certain socio-cultural practices within the purview of Hindu culture, and to the use of gender, class, and caste to categorize people in a hierarchical social system.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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