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Varieties of Patriarchy and Violence Against Women: Resurrecting "Patriarchy" as a Theoretical Tool

NCJ Number
227022
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 15 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2009 Pages: 553-573
Author(s)
Gwen Hunnicutt
Date Published
May 2009
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article presents an alternative way to understand violence against women by employing patriarchy as a core theoretical concept.
Abstract
Although the literature on violence against women is abundant, there has been a remarkable absence of theoretical development. Setting aside the prior challenges and the dismantling of the concept of patriarchy, this article argues in favor of resurrecting the concept of patriarchy and employing it to theorize violence against women. Understanding that patriarchy takes a variety of ideological and structural shapes across the social landscape, it is recommended that the concept be carefully employed. However, the concept of patriarchy holds promise for theorizing violence against women because it keeps the theoretical focus on dominance, gender, and power. It also anchors the problem of violence against women in social conditions, rather than individual attributes. The article addresses some of the criticism of employing patriarchy as a theoretical concept to understand violence against women, uncovers the explanatory strengths of the concept, and lays some foundations for a more fully developed theory of violence against women. Notes and references

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