Conference paper
PATRIARCHAL UPBRINGING IN THE 21ST CENTURY: THE IMPACT EMOTIONAL ABUSE RELATED TO PARENTAL STYLES HAS ON THE GENESIS OF GENDER INEQUALITY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNRESOLVED TRAUMA IN CHILDREN
Melissa Abi Rached
; University of Roehampton, London, UK
Ahmed Hankir
; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
Rashid Zaman
; Centre for Mental Health Research in association with University of Cambridge (CMHR-CU), Cambridge, UK
Abstract
Background: Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) (physical, sexual, and psychological/emotional) is a type of structural
discrimination that violates the basic human rights of females on a global scale. Cultural norms that glorify male dominance, power
imbalances, and abuse of authority are the most encountered reasons for VAWG. Emotional abuse, which can start in childhood, is
widely recognised as the most prevalent fo rm of VAWG. However, although victims of emotional abuse usually suffer terribly,
perpetrators often evade accountability. Emotional abuse is u nderestimated in part because it is normalized by victims who are
mostly women and girls. The normalization of VAWG is contributing to the propagation and perpetuation of biased perceptions of
sexism. The intergenerational transmission of parenting styles - which is an important contributory factor for child developmen t -
often includes gender-stereotyping norms, or patriarchy. Hitherto, li mited focus has been directed towards the consequences tha t
emotional abuse related to patriarchal upbringing has on childr en. Aim - to investigate if emotional abuse related to patriarch al
upbringing influences the perception of sexism and gender stereotyping across genders, and the development of unresolved trauma
in children.
Methods: Participants were recruited via social media platforms to complete online questionnaires assessing parental emotional
abuse, control, trauma, misogyny, and perceptions of sexism. Parametric analyses were conducted on the 188 participants (158
women and 30 men) recruited. Trauma and perceptions of sexism were statistically analysed using correlation and multiple linear
regression.
Results: Our findings show that parental emotional abuse and control in females predicted for unresolved traumatic experiences
(16.6%). Misogynistic culture and male gender predicted for hostile sexism (9.9%), whereas emotional abuse predicted for
benevolent sexism (40%).
Conclusion: Emotional abuse related to patriarchal upbringing contributes to the genesis of gender inequality and unresolved
trauma in children. Given that parental styles are transmitted from one generation to the next, to reduce sexism and improve mental
health outcomes, the patriarchal parental cycle must be broken.
Keywords
emotional abuse; patriarchal parental style; hostile sexism; benevolent sexism; gender-equality; unresolved trauma
Hrčak ID:
270224
URI
Publication date:
4.12.2021.
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