The 8 types of gender violence and their characteristics

What is gender violence? How many types of gender violence are there? Gender violence has been defined as that which is exercised against women by those who are or have been linked to them through emotional relationships. That is, couples or ex-partners.

In the vast majority of cases, gender violence is carried out by men. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), violence against women, especially that perpetrated by their partners and sexual violence, constitutes a serious public health problem, as well as a violation of women’s human rights..

In this article we describe the different types of gender violence and how they are carried out.

What is gender violence?

According to the Department of Employment and Equality of the Government of Galicia, gender violence is defined as a type of violence that affects women for the mere fact of being women. Underneath this “mere fact of being” is a culture of machismo and patriarchy that largely explains the emergence of this type of violence.

Gender violence constitutes an attack against the integrity, dignity and freedom of women, regardless of the area in which it occurs.

The Galician Law 11/2007, of July 27, for the prevention and comprehensive treatment of gender violence defines gender violence as ‘any violent act or aggression, based on a situation of inequality within the framework of a system of relations of domination of men over women. that has or may result in physical, sexual or psychological harm‘.

This also includes threats of such acts and coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, both in the public sphere and in family or personal life.

The 8 types of gender violence

How many types of gender violence are there? The UN Women, the United Nations Organization dedicated to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women, proposes the existence of 8 types of gender violence. We will describe them below:

Psychological violence

One of the main types of gender violence is psychological violence, which involves causing fear through intimidating acts. This type of violence can be exercised in multiple ways.

Psychological violence involves threatening the woman with harm to a third person (for example, her children), harm her pets, destroy her property, subject her to psychological abuse, forcing her to isolate him from his loved ones, to abandon studies or work, etc. It also includes deception and manipulation.

Physical violence

Physical violence is physical abuse, and involves causing or attempting to cause harm to women through physical harm. It is carried out through multiple behaviors. Through hitting, kicking, pushing, pinching, slapping, pulling the neck, biting, burning…

It also includes actions such as denying medical care or forcing you to take drugs. This type of violence also includes damage to property.

Sexual violence

Sexual violence is another type of gender violence. This type of violence consists of forcing a partner to engage in a sexual act without their consent. Thus, it involves coercing or threatening the person with the aim of getting him to carry out a certain behavior, in this case, sexual behavior.

According to the WHO, this type of violence is one of the most worrying today, constituting a true public health problem.

Economic violence

Gender violence can also be carried out in the economic sphere. This type of violence involves achieving, or try to achieve financial dependence on another person, through maintaining total control over your financial resources. Also, preventing him from accessing them and prohibiting him from working.

emotional violence

Another type of gender violence is emotional violence, which involves undermining a woman’s self-esteem through different actions.

For example, through constant criticism, insults, submission, verbal abuse, undervaluing their abilities, damaging their relationship with their children or not allowing them to see their family or friends.

patrimonial violence

This type of violence, which the UN Women includes as a type of physical violence but which other organizations separate, involves the usurpation or destruction of objects, goods and properties of the victim with the aim of dominating him or causing psychological harm. Furthermore, this type of violence can also affect other people (for example, neighbors).

Vicarious violence

Vicarious violence, which the UN Women does not mention either, but which also exists, entails harm to the woman’s children. The person who exercises it threatens, attacks or even kills his children with the sole purpose of causing irreparable and indescribable harm to his partner or his ex-partner.

Social violence

Finally, social violence, another type of gender violence, consists of limit, control or induce the isolation of women. The aggressor separates her from her family and friends and deprives her of her social support, thus distancing her from her usual environment to keep her more controlled and increasingly subject her to her attacks and threats.

Gender violence is an undeniable reality today. According to the WHO, around 1 in 3 women have suffered from it at some point in their lives. This includes physical and sexual violence by a partner, or sexual violence by third parties. There are different types of it, yes, but all of them are violence, and all of them must be reported.

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