Invisible Privilege, Invisible Men: Exposing and exhorting the need for Transformational Research and Active Participation among Males as an Essential Component to Sustainable Gender Violence Prevention and Eradication in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Date

2007

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Latin American Languages and Societies

Advisor

Bruce Campbell, Hispanic Studies

Abstract

Since 1993, more than 400 assassinations against women have been counted in Ciudad Juárez. Such patterned gender violence has been termed femicide, or the "the murder of women motivated the condition of gender". [1] As the direct violence against women has continued, an institutional violence has also been revealed: local authorities as well as state and federal judicial bodies have repeatedly been accused of negligence and impunity in the cases of crimes against the women.

It has become evident that in order to eradicate femicide and prevent other forms of violence against women, a deep and widespread transformation gender inequalities and acceptable gendered behavior is essential. This transformation must be facilitated by nuanced understandings of current gender experiences for both women and men, and it requires active participation among women and men. Yet research has failed to take into account the gendered experiences of males in Ciudad Juárez. Thus, further research into femicide and other forms of violence against women in Ciudad Juárez must uncover how males are impacted in very gender-specific ways by the social, political, economic, and cultural realities of their city. Specifically, implementing models of Transformational Research should yield essential information as to how men can become aware of their gendered identities and behaviors as well as become more active participants in the quest for the cessation of gender violence and the achievement of gender equality in Ciudad Juárez.

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