A study found that gender equality reduces violence toward women.
Every month, an average of 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner. (CDC, updated Jan 2022)
“Men who kill women do not suddenly kill women, they work up to killing women.” (Perez, 2019)
Although women can be abusive partners as well, the majority of domestic violence is committed by men. Our culture of sexism inherently teaches males from inception that they are expected to be in control (Kippert, 2021). The male use of coercion can precede violence and show up in dating and eventually intimate relationships. Coercive behavior becomes difficult to identify when it’s embedded in the culture, yet, at the same time, it meets the criteria as harmful psychological and emotional abuse. Our culture puts women at risk for violence just for being female.
Sexism vs Misogyny
Misogyny is on the darker end of sexism. Sexism is prejudice or discrimination against one sex. Misogyny is a more severe reaction of contempt and hatred of women that shows up in sex discrimination, patriarchy, male privilege, belittling and disenfranchising women, sexual objectification, and violence against women. (Kippert, 2021).
