Socio-Cultural Constructs of Masculinity and Gender- Based Violence: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

This study examines how cultural constructs of masculinity contribute to gender-based violence (GBV) in the Pakistani context. Using a feminist social constructivist paradigm, it investigates how cultural norms and expectations influence masculine identities and behaviors, which perpetuate or reduce GBV. This study draws on interviews with 12 participants, including 6 males and 6 females respondents, aged 20 to 30, from diverse socioeconomic and regional backgrounds in Pakistan. The study employs thematic analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with university students, identifying key themes such as dominance, emotional suppression, and societal expectations of aggression. According to the findings, society’s endorsement of harmful values of masculinity and control contributes to the ongoing GBV, while stifling the possibility of other forms of masculinity which are non-violent. This study is important, because it brings out cultural factors that contribute to gender-based violence in Pakistan, thus providing an insight on how societal characteristics breed toxic masculinities. With the aim of addressing such constructs, it seeks to promote gender equity and lessen gender violence. Further research also supplements development studies through emphasizing that cultural masculinity operates in wider societies and culture and this opens the way for strategies on GBV that are multidisciplinary in nature. This research shows how culture and violence are interlinked and calls for specific action to counter unhealthy masculine ideologies and practices and promote gender equality.