A Historical Analysis of the Impact of Hegemonic Masculinities on Sexual Assault in the Lives of Ethnic Minority Women

Abstract

Women's experiences of sexual assault are rooted in and informed by a history that nurses need to understand in order to provide meaningful and effective care. In this article, we present a comprehensive literature review guided by intersectionality theory to deepen our understanding of the historical role that hegemonic masculinity plays in shaping ethnic minority women's experiences of sexual assault. Final sources included were analyzed using thematic analysis. On the basis of our analyses, we identified 4 themes: social order hierarchies, “othering” dynamics, economic labor divisions, and negative media/mass communication depiction. Our findings contribute to our understanding of these important histories that speak to the trauma of sexual violence inflicted upon the bodies of ethnic minority women, which we can incorporate into nursing education curricula. Incorporating this knowledge would equip nurses and allied health professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills that would enable them to help patients navigate multiple systems of oppression as they engage in help seeking following a sexual assault experience. This knowledge also acknowledges rather than dismisses the historically acceptable use of sexual violence against ethnic minority women. In addition, acknowledging these histories enables us to move forward as a society in engaging in an urgently needed cultural shift to address the hegemonic masculinities that perpetuate violence against women in the United States.

The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on help‐seeking behaviours of Indigenous and Black women experiencing intimate partner violence in the United States

“…Indigenous and Black women have historically had to live within a racialized economy. For example, the literature shows how Black women remain underpaid and under‐protected by their employers dating back to when women were enslaved and experienced rape and sexual assault from White male slave owners (Ruiz et al, 2021 ). In present times, Black women are often in constant fear of losing their job in the event of an illness (DuMonthier et al, 2017 ).…”

Validação qualitativa de um jogo para enfrentamento da violência contra a mulher

“…A dificuldade em romper com os padrões sociais que desqualificam as mulheres está associada à dominação masculina que, por meio da opressão, normatiza e legitima a condição de subalternidade nos diferentes espaços da sociedade. (17) Acredita-se que a desconstrução da dominação masculina na sociedade envolve reconhecimento, problematização e enfrentamento dos padrões e estereótipos de gênero que consideram as mulheres inferiores aos homens. O Violetas desvelou para as participantes que a violência de gênero não está restrita à vivência das mulheres que procuram atendimento, mas está expressa cotidianamente nos meios de comunicação, nas redes sociais digitais e até mesmo nas rodas de conversa entre amigos.…”

An integrative literature review and critical reflection of intersectionality theory

“…This is particularly true if we embrace Beauchamp's argument that public health should be seen as a social movement that is beyond the work of professionals and is a mark of a just society. Nurses can and should be at the center of the idea of public health as a social movement, leading the very movement itself, given their interactions with and deep understanding of individuals, families, and communities and their role in the protection of health and human life (Ruiz et al, 2021; Weitzel et al, 2020).…”

“…The Combahee River Collective positioned themselves differently from White feminists by standing in solidarity with their male counterparts. This unique position demonstrates the complex realities faced by Black women in their efforts to challenge racism alongside Black men while simultaneously addressing the problem of sexism that they experience, living in a world governed by White hegemonic masculine ideologies while also navigating interpersonal gendered relationships with the Black men in their lives (Ruiz et al, 2021). The organization created the term identity politics, which is also utilized by Crenshaw (1989) to further clarify the concept of intersectionality.…”