Stereotypes and prejudices in the legal representation of violence against women. A socio-cultural analysis of the judgments in the Italian courts
Research Article
How to Cite
Saccà F., Massidda L. Stereotypes and prejudices in the legal representation of violence against women. A socio-cultural analysis of the judgments in the Italian courts. Science. Culture. Society. 2021. Vol. 27. No. 2. P. 62-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/nko.2021.27.2.6
Abstract
The paper presents and discusses data from the research «STEP – Stereotype and Prejudice. For a Cultural Change in Gender Representation in the Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Media Reporting». The research is coordinated by Professor Flaminia Saccà, and financed by the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Department for Equal Opportunities. The analysis conducted on a sample of 283 judgments relating to crimes of violence against women (domestic violence; sexual violence; murder / femicide; human trafficking; stalking) shows how stereotypes and prejudices regarding gender relations, role expectations and women representation are still strongly rooted in our society and, at least partially, in our courtrooms. The paper identifies and describes the main critical elements found in the representation of violence against women proposed by the judgments’ language: the representation of the victim (and the key role of her testimony); the presence of three recurrent biases (family dispute bias, jealousy bias and raptus bias); the almost total lack of references to the main international regulatory sources (CEDAW and the Istanbul Convention).
Keywords:
gender violence, gender bias, legal language
References
1. Saccà, F. (ed.) (2021), Stereotipo e pregiudizio. La rappresentazione giuridica e mediatica delle violenza di genere. Franco Angeli, Rome-Milan.
2. Gribaldo, A. (2019), The Burden of Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence, Experience, and Persuasion. PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review. 42(2), pp. 283-297. https://doi.org/10.1111/plar.12309.
3. Manne, K. (2017), Down girl: The logic of misogyny. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
4. Di Nicola, P. (2018), La mia parola contro la sua: Ovvero quando il pregiudizio è più importante del giudizio. HarperCollins, Milan.
5. Gribaldo, A. (2014), The paradoxical victim: Intimate violence narratives on trial in Italy. American Ethnologist. 41(4), pp. 743-756. https://doi.org/10.1111/amet.12109.
6. Marsh, G. (2011), Trust, testimony, and prejudice in the credibility economy. Hypatia. 26(2), pp. 280-293. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1527-2001.2010.01152.x.
7. Macdonald, M. (1995), Representing women. Myths of femininity in the popular media. Edward Arnold, London.
8. Easteal, P. L. (2002), Looking through the prevailing kaleidoscope: Women victims of violence and intersectionality. Sister in Law, A Feminist Law Review. 6, pp. 48-77.
9. Saccà, F. (2003), La società sessuale. Il controllo sociale della sessualità nelle organizzazioni umane. FrancoAngeli, Rome-Milan.
10. Bourdieu, P. (2001), Masculine domination. Stanford University Press, Stanford.
11. Edwards, S. (1989), Policing ‘Domestic’ Violence: Women, the Law and the State. Sage, London.
12. Lea, S. J. & Lynn, N. (2012), Dialogic reverberations: police, domestic abuse, and the discontinuance of cases. Journal of interpersonal violence. 27(15), pp. 3091-3114. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260512441075.
13. Burman, M. (2010), The ability of criminal law to produce gender equality: Judicial discourses in the Swedish criminal legal system. Violence Against Women. 16(2), pp. 173-188.
14. Hearn, J. (1998), The Violences of Men. Sage, London.
15. Kelly, L. & Westmorland, N. (2016), Naming and defining ‘domestic violence’: Lessons from research with violent men. Feminist review. 112(1), pp. 113-127.
2. Gribaldo, A. (2019), The Burden of Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence, Experience, and Persuasion. PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review. 42(2), pp. 283-297. https://doi.org/10.1111/plar.12309.
3. Manne, K. (2017), Down girl: The logic of misogyny. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
4. Di Nicola, P. (2018), La mia parola contro la sua: Ovvero quando il pregiudizio è più importante del giudizio. HarperCollins, Milan.
5. Gribaldo, A. (2014), The paradoxical victim: Intimate violence narratives on trial in Italy. American Ethnologist. 41(4), pp. 743-756. https://doi.org/10.1111/amet.12109.
6. Marsh, G. (2011), Trust, testimony, and prejudice in the credibility economy. Hypatia. 26(2), pp. 280-293. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1527-2001.2010.01152.x.
7. Macdonald, M. (1995), Representing women. Myths of femininity in the popular media. Edward Arnold, London.
8. Easteal, P. L. (2002), Looking through the prevailing kaleidoscope: Women victims of violence and intersectionality. Sister in Law, A Feminist Law Review. 6, pp. 48-77.
9. Saccà, F. (2003), La società sessuale. Il controllo sociale della sessualità nelle organizzazioni umane. FrancoAngeli, Rome-Milan.
10. Bourdieu, P. (2001), Masculine domination. Stanford University Press, Stanford.
11. Edwards, S. (1989), Policing ‘Domestic’ Violence: Women, the Law and the State. Sage, London.
12. Lea, S. J. & Lynn, N. (2012), Dialogic reverberations: police, domestic abuse, and the discontinuance of cases. Journal of interpersonal violence. 27(15), pp. 3091-3114. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260512441075.
13. Burman, M. (2010), The ability of criminal law to produce gender equality: Judicial discourses in the Swedish criminal legal system. Violence Against Women. 16(2), pp. 173-188.
14. Hearn, J. (1998), The Violences of Men. Sage, London.
15. Kelly, L. & Westmorland, N. (2016), Naming and defining ‘domestic violence’: Lessons from research with violent men. Feminist review. 112(1), pp. 113-127.
Article
Received: 28.04.2021
Accepted: 01.07.2021
Citation Formats
Other cite formats:
APA
Saccà, F., & Massidda, L. (2021). Stereotypes and prejudices in the legal representation of violence against women. A socio-cultural analysis of the judgments in the Italian courts. Science. Culture. Society, 27(2), 62-73. https://doi.org/10.19181/nko.2021.27.2.6
Section
Gender relations
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