Youth Social Imaginaries about Violence against Women

Abstract

Introduction: The objective of the research was to characterize the prevailing social imaginaries about violence against women in youth groups and their differences by gender in order to work on the prevention of practices and transformation of subjectivities.

Methods: The project was structured in two stages with a quantitative-qualitative methodological strategy. In the first, a diagnosis was made through a self-administered questionnaire and documentary review on youth, gender, and communication, with emphasis on those associated with violence against women. The second was aimed at deepening through focus groups and individual interviews with young people and specialists on the subject.

Results and discussion: It was shown prevalence of stereotypes and prejudices in gender roles that reproduce patriarchal power relations and make existing forms of violence invisible. A majority consensus was found by sex/gender, age groups and skin color about what it is to be a man or a woman in Cuba today, although with differences in the notions about both, more homogeneous in the case of being a man, while being a woman, the image was more heterogeneous and three archetypal imageries were identified. Various expressions of violence against women were recognized in the public, private and media spheres, and although there was a general rejection of these behaviors and a certain positive predisposition to confront them, an active stance to act against them did not predominate. As some conclusions the role of communication for the prevention of violence is recognized; different ways, means and actors were identified and dissimilar proposals were made.