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Based on the concept of social constructivism the term patriarchy is based on the notion that an individual after a certain

age is taught how to be a man or a woman. They are socialized by first their families then the other agents of socialization about how to be a man or a woman. According to Barry Chevannes and Janet Brown (1995) boys are expected to be masculine by not showing their emotions as well as by providing and protecting their families, while girls should be nurturing, caring and a good house wife. In addition to these characteristics girls must be submissive to the man and the man in accordance must be dominant in all aspect, thus, the concept of patriarchy. Growing up in contemporary Jamaican society as a girl I was taught by my mother that I should wash the dishes and sweep the house while my brothers were allowed to play and go on the road with their friends while I was told to stay inside and read a book and find something important to do. Chevannes and Brown (1995) spoke to this in the sense that girls should stay home and mimic the activities or their moms while boys mimic the activities of their fathers. Chevannes stated that after doing a study in Jamaica he found that if boys want to stay home and help out in the house they would be called maama man. This is a true depiction of the Jamaican society where any deviation from the norms would lead to discriminations such as name calling. Also Chevannes stated that even though males are expected to behave in a particular way it is not always to their advantage. This can be likened to a situation where a boy had a close family member who died but could not cry because society demands that he should be masculine and not display emotions. In the sense of patriarchy this was not helping him because he was not allowed to mourn the death of a loved one; instead he is left with a lot of bottled up emotions. Finally Chevannes spoke to the fact that not all boys want to leave the home at an early age but

because it is the expectation of society, they have to leave the home and hustle or juggle as a means of survival as well as a way of proving their manhood. In essence this speaks to the marginalized men who do not meet the requirements of being masculine or patriarchal. They are also affected by patriarchal ideologies and practices. These are men who do not have certain power and status in society whether it is as a result of lack of financial obligations or the fact that they dont want to be leaders. According to Bell hooks in the article understanding patriarchy she describes patriarchy as one of the most life threatening social disease affecting the male body and spirit in our nation it was further described as a political-social system that insists that males are inherently dominating, superior to everything and everyone deemed weak, especially females, and endowed with the right to dominate and rule over the weak and to maintain that dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence. It is a system of total male dominance that leaves females subordinate to males which in most cases results in gender based violence, Where men were made to think that they own and control women. According to Roberta Clarke (1998) Gender based violence is defined by committees on the elimination of discrimination against women as violence that is directed against woman because she is a woman or which affects her disproportionately. She further states that Violence perpetuates and exploits the dichotomy between women and men in order to assure the subordination of women and all that is associated with the female. Women are always viewed in subordinate position and through violence they are ultimately at a disadvantage. This point can be further proven by the words of Margaret Gates (1978) that men have been protecting their mothers, sisters, daughters and wives like their stocks and lands and the price women paid for protection is fidelity and obedience. She said it is thought of as the natural order of things

(p.11). She further states that not all women consider themselves degraded by their submissive role; however this should not delude the fact that because they dont resent it does not mean that its natural. In the Caribbean there are several traditional women who believe that the man should be the leader and head of the household and they must therefore be submissive to them. This view is especially upheld in religious families. The patriarchal ideologies and practices are the expected behaviours of men who are considered masculine. These ideologies are either observed behavioural patterns of adults or they are taught by parents or guardians from a tender age. The boy is expected to follow such norms and any deviations from the norms would lead to men being ridiculed or treated less than a man which will result in discrimination. Some of these patriarchal ideologies include the notions that women should depend on the man for protection as well as financial and emotional support and the man must always adhere to his responsibilities. As postulated by Becker and Abel (n.d) we live in a society where men are in charge of the majority of our institutions. This too can be linked to the Jamaican society where men are in charge of most institutions whether its governmental or non-governmental. In politics even though Jamaica has a female prime minister there are far more men than women in the house of parliament. A perfect example of this patriarchal ideology and practice was the fact that until recently there was not a female bathroom at house of parliament. This is due to the concept of patriarchal ideologies where the man should be the ones to work and provide for their families, while the woman stays home to take care of the house and kids. Although feminist workers have advocated for the rights of women to free will and the chance to work, men are still the leaders and owners of the majority of businesses in the Caribbean.

The practices include the fact that men should not do any form of house work such as washing, cleaning or cooking because it is the responsibility of the woman. The irony of this whole concept of patriarchal ideologies and practices is the fact that women are the subordinates of men, According to Bell Hooks these same women are the teachers of patriarchal ideologies and practices. It is women who teach their children to behave the way that society dictates they should and women are the ones who ensure that these individual roles are carried out. When analyzing this view it is proven as being true based on personal experiences. Women are the ones who are always home with the kids telling them what to do and not do as well as how to behave or not. All this is done during the time when the men are out working to provide for the family. These are the norms of the society where patriarchy is the order of the day. In the Jamaican society men are portrayed in several different areas as the dominant figure especially in the media, where women are depicted as submissive being abiding to the demand of the man. It is shown in the media where men are always forcing women to do things they do not wish to be in positions where they do not wish to be in. In pornography you see in most cases where women are mistreated and roughed up by males. According to Burstow (1992) violence is explicit in pornography where women appear in chains, are shown whipped, mutilated and tortured (pg 3). It is evident in the music in the Caribbean especially in Jamaica where women are called gal and bitch, while men are deemed as being the boss and stars. Likewise in the dancehall setting in the book Radical feminist therapy Bonnie Burstow spoke to the fact that it is through violence that men mostly portray their power and authority. This is where women are reduced to beating sticks, they are manhandled and mistreated. According to Burstow (1992) women are beaten, cut and bruised by their male partner (pg 148). This abuse of women is the medium in which most men portray their manhood.

Patriarchal ideologies and practices are the main driving force of gender-based violence where men feel like they have to abuse a woman to feel like a man/ masculine. If physical violence is the only thing that comes to mind when the concept of gender-based violence is mentioned then it calls for a deeper analysis of the concept of gender-based violence. It is in my definition the physical, psychological and verbal abuse to the opposite sex. According to Judith Becker and Gene Abel (1976) violence against women is argued as being the norm rather than the aberration in societies where women directly and indirectly are discriminated against also victimization is linked to aggression, be it physical or verbal. In the Jamaican society women are verbally abused by their men especially in marriages where the man classifies the woman as being a bitch and call her names to make her feel less of herself. The man will complain about things not being done properly in the house and this is mostly illustrated in movies or media where they would beat the female for not performing her tasks well. According to Gates (1978) in heterosexual relationships male has more power than female (p.9). In addition Millet (1970) illustrated to the fact that sex role is sex rank and femininity she states is linked to submissiveness in sexual relationships and gender identity has come to include power for men and powerlessness for women which place the woman in a helpless and horrific condition. Gates (1978) postulates that the simplest explanation for maltreatment of women by men is the obvious fact that most men are physically stronger than most women therefore when it comes to fights women are more susceptible to being losers. She states that they anticipate their defeat and are therefore intimidated. According to Walker (1977) the battered woman is usually pictured as small and fragile and may have once been considered pretty. She states that bruises, broken bones and painful look are evidence of battering. Due to the womans reluctance to

change her situation she is assumed to be enjoying it and that she is the cause of her injuries. Friends and professionals get angry because she does not allow them to help and would therefore consider her as being stupid. In addition Burstow (1992) spoke to the fact that in many instances men would use cigarettes to burn their wives, they are pressured to have sex whether with them or with others while they watch or by telling them how ugly they have gotten. In the Jamaican society men often abused women verbally by making reference to their weight especially their bellies. This is a humiliation tool to making the woman feel less of herself in the sense that the man is probably no longer attracted to her. This affects the women psychologically as well as emotionally. Crying is often times the way that females deal with these situations due to the fact that they are too ashamed to tell their friends, families or talk to a therapist about the abuse endured. This can often time lead to the female being traumatize. According to Becker and Abel (n.d) rape is one of the most rapidly increasing crimes of violence in the Caribbean. The most dominant forms of both physical and psychological abuse affecting the Caribbean is the raping and demoralizing of women. To illustrate how fast increasing rape is about a month ago five females of one household were raped in Jamaica. According to Becker and Abel the victimization of women by men appears to be directly related to our sexist society in which male supremacy must be upheld at whatever cost (p.49). In the article Violence against women in the Caribbean statistics illustrated that between 1985 and 1991 rape has increased drastically with an increase from 17to105 respectively. Males have heightened their power to the point of physically and psychologically abusing and subordination of women.

According to Donna Schram (1997) rape can be the most terrifying event in a womans life, these sexual acts performed are often intended to humiliate and degrade her. As postulated by the Gleaner (2012) police statistics displays the increases of rape cases in Jamaica with 701 reported cases in 2009,704 in 2010 and a drastic increase to 748 in 2011 . This statistics does not include majority of women who are too scared for their lives to report these crimes. They are so affected yet instead of reporting these crimes the best options to them is silence The consistent replaying of the act to the police, judge, jury and councilors is a process that many victims tries to avoid. In addition to this is the fact that according to Mills (1970) victimization by the criminal justice system, the community, and sometimes families, who suggest that the women contributed to their criminal victimization or even, deserved it. (p.6). There is a painful truth to this statement where women are not treated as victims but as the cause of their own demise. The truth of the matter is that we often criticize the victim by asking question like why were they in that particular situation. What we fail to understand is that once a woman says no then it is rape. This shows the lack of compassion in especially the Jamaican society where we turn our victims into accusers and we subject them to ridicule and discrimination instead of helping them through a traumatic period. Thus, the reason for social welfare where there are people who will show that they care and help through the process. It therefore leads to Mills (1970) point that the objection of womens efforts to substantiate this double victimization is not so much to shift the blame from the victims to individual offenders, police officers, judges, jurors, as to indict, instead our value system, social organization and institutions. What Mills is suggesting is that yes the offenders must be punished but greater emphasis must be placed on the rehabilitation of the victims through these several organizations and institutions.

There are several cases in the Caribbean and even worldwide that portray women in a subordinate position that leads to gender based violence. This has lead to the reports of several domestic and rape related incidence on the rise. Therefore there must be necessary intervention to eradicate these problems. One of the main treatments especially for battered women is interdependence where they depend on themselves and not their man. Also according to Walker (1977) the most effective method is to end the relationship with the batterer. In cases where they have nowhere to go there are social service organizations to protect and helps with the rehabilitation for abused victims. In Jamaica there is a womens crisis centre that provides counseling to appropriate legal services. They also collect data on violence as well as educate people through consciousness raising on the issue of violence against women (Clarke, R.1998). The nongovernmental organization opened shelters for battered women where they can go for safety. There is also the presence of the legal system where women can get justice for the crimes committed against them as well as. There are restraining orders to protect you from the individual. And in concluding the concept of patriarchal ideologies and practices has lead to gender based violence where womens lives are at risk. To prove their manhood men are abusing, raping and battering women. Several theories have spoken to this with the fact that it is as a result of womens submissive roles. Therefore until these roles are changed to a state of equality there will always be this problem in our society. However, during this time the best ways to deal with these problems are through the legal system, interdependence and literally walking away from these bad situations. Violence against women will never be totally eradicated if men are always considered superior to women.

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