Essay on Gender-Based Violence in Men

Over the years the terms gender-based and violence against women have been used interchangeably. Be that as it may, gender-based violence alludes to the aggression in physical, emotional, verbal or other forms that each gender face at various places, such as but not limited to places of work, and at home. Extensive research and case studies have consistently depicted that women as the frequent victims of violence. In so doing, these studies have overlooked the fact that men are also victims of gender-based violence. Along these lines, case studies on intimate partner violence (IPV) have revealed that at least 29% of women are victims of various types of violence (Houry, et al., 2008). Furthermore, these examples mirror physical, psychological, and sexual forms of violence. As a result, it becomes imperative to adopt an in-depth analysis exploration into gender-based violence. To achieve this goal, this paper is guided by the primary research question; what is the difference(s) between genders in IPV. This research endeavor is overly significant given the heightened number of men who are subjected to the adverse ramifications of gender-based violence but have been neglected or accorded negligible focus.

A study conducted in the emergency department plausibly illustrated that female patients experience between 33% and 54% rate of the IPV prevalence (Houry, et al., 2008). It became apparent that studies have predominantly focused on the IPV with women as victims. The primary source of data applied in this article was a large hospital in the southern city considered level 1 with a trauma center. Here, patients aged between 18 and 55 years from the emergency department shared their experiences and views on the subject matter. Subsequently, this particular case study was a further illustration of how general studies have focused on women hence the need to exert a specific focus on men. Thus, the proposed research will be examining the rate and proportion of men who are also victims of gender-based violence within the society under the IPV definition. To actually achieve this goal, the research will endeavor to answer the primary question that strives to establish the difference that exists between different genders who are within the definition of IPV. Finding the difference will allow the study to be able to substantiate the proportion as well as the rate of IPV that men experience in the society. Also, the study will be based on illustrating that despite various studies exhibiting that women are the frequent victims of IPV, men are also victims, and the issue is very alarming. Therefore, it will be important to launch this study since the scholars have overlooked it.

Second, a UN report in 2015, affirmed that violence against women and gender-based violence against women was a global concern. Women of all ages, levels of education, and economic status are at risk of being victims of gender-based violence (Women, 2001). The research in this article applied population-based surveys, but randomly selecting women to share their experience with gender violence. In a different study that aimed to reveal the amount of violence at the level of intimate partners to concur with the information shared in this article, it was indicated that women recorded more encounters of gender-based violence compared to men (Houry, et al., 2008). Despite the demonstration of empirical evidence on gender violence towards women, men have been overlooked, as they too are victims of IPV on various scenarios. As shown by studies mentioned above, men also experience more or similar gender-based violence as women such as, sexual, physical, and emotional (Carpenter, 2006). In every three victims of home-based violence, one is a male; this statistic reveals the graveness of the problem which has been overlooked in the past. Consequently, focusing on gender-based violence affecting men is a valuable agenda to consider when targeting issues of IPV.

Method

Participants

I will identify members including, ten different couples from various homes and ten men at different workplaces. The selected participants will assist in the assessment of the gender-based violence on men. Therefore, the workplace and home environments will be providing the data needed to study gender and IPV. Approximately 15% of men from the emergency departments, had experienced a form of IPV victimization perpetrated by a female partner with at least 36% of these cases involving the use of weapons (Houry, et al., 2008). Additionally, a different survey revealed that the male victims who had been harmed by their partners had a relatively high rate (more than 50%) of the perpetration of IPV (Houry, et al., 2008). Based on the prior studies such as Houry et al. (2008) on a survey that was done on households and families, it was apparent that men are more likely than women to solve things calmly. What this research intends to add to the existing literature is: focusing on men as victims to be able to understand the trends of IPV and establish a lasting solution. It may be interesting to find that the reason for male perpetration is based on the fact that women are also violent and could be the triggers of the problem. In light of this comprehension, I suggest that controlling some acts by women could also be the solution to the problem or at least in may shade some light on strategies to keep the situation in check. Also, when men are exposed to some form of violence by women, it could be the trigger for even further violence.

Subsequently, it is evident that focusing on the triggers of IPV cases is the solution to the problem, and the hypothesis that men are also victims can help reduce the gender-based violence experienced by men. The previous studies on this matter have focused on women as victims and men as the perpetrators and in the same light men can be victims and women perpetrators. The study will allow the process of creating interventions that control the violence and triggers that arise from both males and females which lead to IPV.

Materials

The study will employ interview and questionnaires methods to gather information revealing gender-based violence in men. In so doing, the study will utilize close-ended and open-ended questions. Closed-ended questions such as Have you ever been treated violently at work? will elicit a direct response which will, in turn, be used to draw a conclusion on the subject matter. Also, questionnaires are relatively simple to analyze because the researcher ensures that the questions therein capture the interests of the research. The logic behind the use of these tools is to allow the respondents to share adequately on their experiences with the matter. Interviews will be conducted and recorded for future reference. These interviews will take a maximum of thirty minutes for the couples and fifteen minutes for the men at work. The timing is necessary so that the respondent is given adequate time to reason out an answer without feeling pressurized under the circumstance. Questions such as: Do you exercise effective communication at home? will be beneficial to the study. However, the participants confidentiality will be guaranteed, and information they share will be applied solely for the explained intended purpose of investigating the rate and proportion of men as also victims of gender-based violence within the society under the IPV definition.

The research will be quantitative in nature. Since the data collected will be nominal, it will be tabulated with the following parameters: sample size, age, gender, interview scores, and questionnaire scores. Relevant tools such as ANOVA will then be used for calculations. These will result in information such as the mean, variance, and standard deviation.

Procedure

In the proposed research, I will identify members including, ten different couples from various homes and ten men at various workplaces. These individuals will be aged between 25 and 35 years old. The selected participants will assist in the assessment of the gender-based violence on men. Therefore, the workplace and home environments will be providing the data needed to study gender and IPV. Ten different homes will be identified and selected randomly. These are homes to ten different couples aged between 25 and 35. Additionally, different workplaces will be determined, and ten men will be chosen. These two groups of people will be instrumental in the conduction of interviews. Interviews will be conducted systematically. First, the couples will be interviewed together. One question will be posed, and the choice on who to answer will solely depend on the couple. Their responses will be recorded. Next, the men will be interviewed at their workplaces. Their responses will be registered.

Possible Results and Conclusions

After data collection, the participants responses will be used to distinguish between the possibilities of gender-based violence at the workplace and home. Calculations will then be done based on the questionnaire responses to establish the prevalence of gender-based violence at home and the workplace. The ages of those whose responses will be in tune with the research question will be noted, and a possible trend deduced. The interviews will be analyzed, and finer details concluded. These will include issues such as the individual between the couple who frequently responds to the interviewer's queries. Additionally, the tones of the interviewees voices will help to determine their level of truthfulness and point out any form of restraint. The number of men experiencing gender-based violence will then be calculated, and a valid conclusion will be established.

It is expected that open-ended questionnaires will be answered truthfully hence yielding accurate results. Closed-ended questionnaires, on the other hand, will be instrumental in gathering precise information. Additionally, calculations (ANOVA) are expected to establish whether men who were violated at home were susceptible to the same violence at work. If there is a statistically significant difference between the means of the questionnaire results from the ten men and the couples, and the interviews conducted with the men and the couples, then the null hypothesis will be rejected. The opposite applies for the lack of a statistically significant difference between the means. It latter situation will imply that men are indeed victims of gender-based violence hence measures to curb this vice will be suggested. Another study to realize these steps may be necessary since those that are available may not be tailored for men. A statistically significant difference in the means will also indicate that men should not be overlooked on matters concerning violence. These findings will then be compared with available data such as that which revealed that the male victims who had been harmed by their partners had a relatively high rate of the perpetration of IPV at more than 50% (Houry, et al., 2008).

References

Carpenter, R. C. (2006). Recognizing gender-based violence against civilian men and boys in conflict situations. Security Dialogue, 37(1), 83-103.

Houry, D., Rhodes, K. V., Kemball, R. S., Click, L., Cerulli, C., McNutt, L. A., & Kaslow, N. J. (2008). The Differences in female and male victims and perpetrators of partner violence about WEB scores. Journal of interpersonal violence, 23(8), 1041-1055.

Women, D. (2001). Putting Women First. Geneva: World Health Organization.