Date of Award
Spring 5-2022
Document Type
Open Access Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Art (BA)
Department
Political Science
Advisor
Dr. Fabián Torres-Ardila
Director
Dr. Lorna Rivera
Subject Categories
Community-Based Research | Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence | Feminist Philosophy | Gender and Sexuality | Latin American Studies | Latina/o Studies | Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies
Abstract
This study aims to analyze how Latin American cultural values and popular media perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes that can subsequently contribute to the growing femicide rates happening across the region. Although violence against women is a global issue, Latin American femicide is characterized by cultural, systemic, and political factors that not only allow it to thrive but make it unique in a global context as it relates to the discussion around violence against women. Adherence to honor culture, gender-based stereotypes like that of machismo and marianismo, along with the overt sexualization of Latin women in popular media, create a domino effect that has the potential to lead to real-world violence. The main objective of this study is to provide evidence that the adherence to toxic gender roles creates a culture that normalizes or even disregards victims of intimate partner violence and violence against women. Individual interviews were conducted with women of Latin American descent in Massachusetts who (a) have experienced a domestic abuse situation with a Latino partner and (b) were over the age of 18. The findings of this study show that there is an interplay of themes present within cases of Latin American couples facing domestic abuse, such as the roles that gender norms, religion, and familial structures play in facilitating cases of intimate partner violence. The study identified other additional sub-themes such as societal norms, socio-economic factors, and the impact of Latin American media as playing a role in cases of intimate partner violence.
Recommended Citation
Gonzalez, Vanessa, "The Latin American Tragedy: A Qualitative Research of How Culture, Media, and Gender Roles Lead to Femicide" (2022). Honors College Theses. 36.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/honors_theses/36
Included in
Community-Based Research Commons, Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence Commons, Feminist Philosophy Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Latin American Studies Commons, Latina/o Studies Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons
Comments
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