THEORIES OF

VIOLENCE
AGAINST WOMEN 1
Three main kinds:
1. Micro- Oriented Theories
2. Macro- Oriented Theories
3. Multi-Dimensional Theories

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Micro- Oriented Theories
1. Social learning theory

 individuals learn how to behave through both experience of and exposure to

violence
 Intergenerational concept of violence
 Relationship between victim and offender contributes to the cycle of violence

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2. PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS
AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY THEORY

- individuals who use violence against women have some sort of

personality disorder or mental illness that might get in the way of
otherwise normal inhibitions about using violence
- Those who are engaged in violent behavior are seen as sick
individuals
- Focusing on psychological factors only tends to decrease abuser’s
responsibility for his actions

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BIOLOGICAL THEORY
 Violence against women is related to the process of natural selection
 Rape as extreme response to natural selection pressure on men to
reproduce
 Biological and Neurological Factors:
 Childhood attention deficit disorders
 This theory eliminates responsibility for the offender

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EXCHANGE THEORY
Individuals engage in behavior to earn rewards or to escape
punishment
Violence is a means by which individuals can maintain or advance
their interests

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RESOURCE THEORY
Violence occurs in the family to maintain power
Control of all resources of a household

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MICRO- ORIENTED
THEORIES

Feminist Theory:
 Violence occurs as a result of male dominated social
structure
 Patriarchy
 Gender Specific roles for men and women

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Family Violence Perspective:
 Violence affects all family relationships (Both men and
women can be violent)
 Origin of problem is in the nature of family structure

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Cultural Acceptance of Violence
Theory:
 Cultural acceptance of violence in certain areas of life (sports, movies etc) may spill
over into other areas of interpersonal interaction
 Certain groups in society may be more likely than other groups to accept the use of
violence in specific situations

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MULTIDIMENSIONAL
THEORIES
Exchange Theory and Social
Control Theory
 Violence and abuse are higher when the rewards exceed the costs (Exchange Theory)
and due to privacy of family institution, as well as others reluctance to intervene
(control theory), assists in reducing the cost of violence
 Cultural approval of use of violence increases the rewards for violent behavior

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GENDER THEORY
Men and women view violence differently
Violence is a means of constructing masculinity
Social patriarchal system increases the risk against women because
they support relationships in which males have higher relative status
than females

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MALE PEER SUPPORT
MODEL
A number of factors (patriarchal social structure, male peer social
support, alcohol use) contribute to likelihood of violence
Male peer support groups reinforce and maintain patriarchal values

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SOCIAL ETIOLOGICAL
MODEL
Violence is result of structural inequality
Establishes a pattern of exploitation and domination of one group by
another

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ECOLOGICAL MODEL

Behavior is shaped through interactions

between individuals and their social
environment
Development is the result of interaction at
following levels:
Individual
Microsystem – family, friends, colleagues
Mesosystem – interaction between others in near
environment (school, home)
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Exosystem – Impact of actions by policy
makers, employers, etc
Macrosystem: influence of largely held cultural
attitudes and beliefs regarding one’s behavior

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GENDER AND
DEVELOPMEN
T

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COLONIAL PERSPECTIVE
OF GENDER
Developed by feminist philosopher Maria Lugone
Deals with “Analysis of racialised, capitalised, gender oppression”
Coloniality of gender is build upon coloniality of power
Coloniality permeates all aspects of social existence and give rise to
new social and geo-cultural identities

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introduction of private ownership of land by colonisers marginalised
women’s position in rural areas as land was registered on men’s
names
From being cultivators they became unpaid workers

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Gendered violence played a formative role in shaping of colonial
societies and flourished in post colonisation era
Colonization itself was a gendered act, carried out by imperial
workforces, mostly men, drawn from masculinized occupations
(soldiers, traders)
Colonial states built as power structures built by men

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Coloniality changed the indigenous sense of self and identity, as well
as gender relations
The concept of race and gender was introduced by western
colonisers as a tool for domination
Imposition of race inferiorised indigenous people
Imposition of gender inferiorised indigenous women

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GENDER
ANALYSIS OF
DEVELOPMENT
THEORIES

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Gender Analysis:
 The systematic gathering and examination of information on
gender differences and social relations in order to identify,
understand and redress inequities based on gender
 Theories
 Modernization Theory
 World System Theory
 Dependency Theory

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MODERNIZATION
THEORY
Modernization theory developed out of
 widespread poverty in some countries in the aftermath of World War II
 increase in unrest in some countries,
 and to counter ideological competition from communism

Popular between 1950s and 1960s

Combines development with modernity

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Modernity:
 advancement in science and technology
 has to be industrially developed
 has to move away from traditional values which prioritise collectivism to
individualism
 Social standing (based on birth in a particular class, caste etc.) to one based on merit

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Proponents of this theory hold that sometime in the past, today's
developed areas were in a situation that is similar to that faced by
today's underdeveloped areas
Five steps in the evolutionary ladder of modernization

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 LADDER OF
MODERNIZATION
First Traditional Society Poverty, primary production, traditional
values

Second Pre-Take Off Stage West assists through development aid and
industrial development

Third Take Off Stage High Economic Growth and Investment

Fourth Drive to Maturity Economic and Cultural factors lead to

increasing prosperity to all

Fifth High Mass Consumption Increased consumption and control over

production

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APPLICATION
The World Bank’s loan for infrastructure development and promoting
public-private partnerships in social services
development models which value individualism,
western funding of merit based education
encouraging urbanization
 all reflect modernization theory

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CRITIQUE
assumption that capitalism and Western culture is the best
assumption of unlimited natural resources for growth and industrial
exploitation
lack of attention to ecological issues & spirituality
turning a blind eye to growing inequalities between and within
countries

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Ester Boserup (1970)’s pioneering work on women’s role in
agriculture systems challenged the assumption that modernization
would improve position of women
female farming systems in Africa were getting marginalised
women predominate and agricultural systems in Asia and Latin
America
Capitalist agriculture recognised only male farming systems

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DEPENDENCY THEORY
Popular in the 1960s and 1970s
Dependency theory rejected the modernization theory
argues that underdeveloped countries are not merely primitive
versions of developed countries
in-fact wealthier countries of today had become wealthy by
exploiting poorer countries in three respects:

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1. EXPLOITING NATURAL
RESOURCES
They exploit natural resources and cheap labour of poor
countries
 Poor countries are export destinations and markets for the wealthy nations,
without which, the latter could not have the standard of living they enjoy

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2. CONTROLLING ALL
RESOURCES OF HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT
They actively perpetuate a state of dependence of poor nations on
wealthy ones by controlling economics, media, politics, banking,
finance, education, culture, sports and all aspects of human resource
development including the recruitment and training of workers.

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3. COUNTERING DEPENDENT
NATIONS BY FORCE
They counter all attempts made by dependent nations to resist their
influences
 by means of economic sanctions, and,
 at times, by the use of military force.

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The heightened foreign indebtedness of less developed countries has
increased their economic vulnerability
It has exposed them to pervasive external intrusions into domestic
policy making in the form of conditionalities imposed by the
Washington based international financial institutions

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Underdeveloped countries should:
 Reduce their connectedness with world market
 Development according to their own needs
 Less dictation by external pressures

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CRITIQUE
While dependency theory does explain how traditional feudal
structures of exploitation like race, caste or class in colonies were
used by the present developed countries
it does not examine how power relations of gender within colonies
were made use off for such development

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3. WORLD SYSTEMS
THEORY
Emerged in the 1970s and different versions of it exist even today
It indirectly sees development as a world free of exploitation
The main point of departure of world-systems theory from
dependency theory
 multi-disciplinary in nature
 encompasses disciplines such as economics, politics, history, sociology and
development studies

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PRESENT CAPITALIST SYSTEM: TRIPARTITE
PATTERN IN DIVISION OF LABOUR

Core Dominate other countries US

Semi- Dominated by core E.G: China,

Periphery countries, but dominate India, Brazil
peripheral countries

Periphery Dominated by both Core E.g: Outside

and Semi-Peripheral Europe
countries

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CRITIQUE
theory is prone to genralization and lacking quantitative data
 the concept of class structure is not given importance at all and,
the boundaries between state and businesses are getting blurred in the
theory.
the world-system theory puts too much importance on economy and
politics and not enough on culture

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GENDER
APPROACHES TO
DEVELOPMENT

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WOMEN IN
DEVELOPMENT (WID)
Post World War II and with the establishment of UN, Decades of
Development commenced beginning in 1960s
During the first decade of development (1961-70), it was assumed
that economic growth in general resulting out of modernization,
would trickle down to the poor and lead to economic and social
benefits to all households.

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Within the household it was assumed that women and men would
benefit equally from economic growth.
The productive role and community management role of women
were ignored, and the emphasis was mainly on practical gender
needs
 Caroline Moser (1989)

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Women were seen as important players in development, and the
focus was on integrating them productively into development
It coincided with the pressure from American women’s movement to
declare 1975 as the International Women’s Year and to declare 1975-
85 as the International Women’s Decade.

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THREE THEMES OF
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S
DECADE
Equality
 Women from developed first-world countries

Development
 Women from developing, third-world countries

Peace
 Women from conflict ridden countries

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THREE STRANDS OF WID
Equality • patriarchy and men’s lack of willingness to provide
equal opportunities main cause of inequality
•the need for equal opportunities as well as legislation

Anti-Poverty • the poor did not have access to credit, skills, extension
and employment

•exclusion of women from income generation activities and

not really capitalist-patriarchy
Efficiency attracted development planners to focus their programmes
on women
focus was on micro credit, insurance and small enterprises

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WAD (WOMEN AND
DEVELOPMENT) :NEO-
MARXIST APPROACH
•WAD scholars believe that women has always been part of
development process but women would not benefit until social
structures are more equitable
•WAD challenged internal structures of inequality between rich north
and poor south
•Only with radical system reforms women could benefit
•Women can only be empowered when capitalism and patriarchy
systems are abolished
•Focus more on women productive roles

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GENDER AND
DEVELOPMENT
•GAD emphasized the social and cultural relations between man and
women and engaging men in gender aware programming in order to
change unequal gender relations
•It advocated gender mainstreaming
•To reassess all the development policies and programs in all social ,
economic and political spheres so that man and women benefit
equally
•The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality

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COMPARISON OF
WID,WAD AND GAD

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