Unseen Victims: Exploring the Prevalence and Impact of Violence Against Men in a Gendered Society

Traditional gender stereotypes ascribe characteristics of dominance and power to males; submissiveness and powerlessness to females. While masculinity and femininity have been linked to positive psychological and social outcomes, some individuals expect inflexible traditional gender roles from themselves and others. Men are over represented as both victims and perpetrators of violence. A number of regulations protecting women have been put into place to shield them from all forms of assault. These days, however, things are inverted, with some women abusing the rules that were created specifically for them. India is considered a male dominated society, so it is easy to say that they are the ones who are always the perpetrators. But, now the scenario is reversing that a male can also be victimized by females. There are a growing number of men who are at the receiving end of harassment and face psychological and physical abuse by women. Because, there are no studies, no researches available that can tell how many men are victimized or harassed in different aspects like how many men are sexually victimized, and what are the post factors of these incidents, which are definitely putting them in the worst mental state. This study aims to find out the prevalence, characteristics, and reasons of violence against males so policymakers will understand the veracity of the issue. Men and women should collaborate and support each other, rather than become adversaries in a cycle of violence.

Keywords: Gender, Masculinity, Femininity, Perpetrators, Laws.