Indian male voices on gender equality and sexual violence: a qualitative study
2013 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), 10 credits / 15 HE credits
Student thesisAlternative title
Indiska mäns röster om jämställdhet och sexuellt våld : en kvalitativ studie (Swedish)
Abstract [en]
This qualitative study aims to explore the status of gender equality and to provide background to the extensive sexual violence in India from the male perspective through the eyes of seven Gujarati men. The brutal rape of a young student, by whole world known as Nirbayha in December 2012 in the Indian capital, was the tragic event that started a mass reaction in India against the extensive sexual violence and has put the whole worlds light on the unequal conditions of men and women in the country. Being sexually abused as a woman is one extreme expression for female subordination in relation to men, accordingly “men´s violence to women” is a most current topic under social work research today. Social constructions and social structures need to be considered when studying sexual violence as well as gender issues.
This thesis is based on a four weeks minor field study in Mandvi in Gujarat, India, where I conducted the interviews. The result is based on answers towards my main research question How do the interviewed men in Mandvi perceive gender equality, and what do they think of sexual violence?
The answers clearly show the gendered thinking of the interviewed men. In the analysis I have tried to interpret and understand the data mainly based on the secondary research questions Are there any perceived connections between sexual violence and gender equality, and if so, how do these look? How do the interviewed men´s perceptions look in relation to earlier research and theoretical frames? What can be done, in a place such as Mandvi on different societal layers (individual, family, society) to prevent sexual violence? In the analysis I show the data through the mirror of theoretical frameworks and the earlier research, such as social work theory, critical theory, gender theory and contemporary Indian masculinity research.
Abstract [sv]
Denna kvalitativa studie avser att undersöka jämställdhet som bakgrund till det omfattande sexuella våldet i Indien, genom ett manligt perspektiv, utifrån intervjuer med sju män från Mandvi i Gujarat. Den brutala våldtäkten på en student i december 2012 i den Indiska huvudstaden, startade en massreaktion i landet, och satte hela världens ljus på de ojämställda villkoren kvinnor och män lever under. Detta våld är ett tecken på strukturell kvinnlig underordning, vilket liksom mäns våld mot kvinnor är ett mycket aktuellt forskningsämne.
Resultatet baseras på de svar jag fick runt den primära forskningsfrågan, hur männen upplever jämställdhet och vad de tänker om sexuellt våld. I analysen undersöker jag samband däremellan, och diskuterar vad som kan göras på olika samhällsnivåer samt speglar datan genom teorier och tidigare forskning inom socialt arbete, kritisk teori, genusteori samt samtida indisk maskulinitetsforskning.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2013. , p. 43
Keywords [en]
gender equality, sexual violence, masculinity, India
Keywords [sv]
jämställdhet, maskulinitet, sexuellt våld, Indien
National Category
Social Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:esh:diva-2437OAI: oai:DiVA.org:esh-2437DiVA, id: diva2:654878
Uppsok
Social and Behavioural Science, Law
Supervisors
Examiners
2013-10-092013-10-082015-11-06Bibliographically approved