The Social Construction Of Hegemonic Masculinity And...

Our society is deeply rooted in a culture that allows violence to be a solution to problems. Violence against women is one of the most prevalent forms of violence within our society. Our legal system ensures that the law is there to protect the people and to reinforce order and equality. Domestic violence, sexual assaults, rapes, abuse of all shape and forms are so common but yet only a few cases make it into court. How can we as a society evolve and progress when more than half of us are faced with such injustices? This essay will focus on how the social construction of hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity establishes rape myths and stereotypes within the society that are aimed to hurt women. I will also focus on how these concepts are integrated within the legal sphere making the law partial and unfair. I will talk about the well-known Ewanchuk case that highlights many rape myths and how its connected to the relationship between violence and masculinity and the way w oman are expected to conform to a societal norm. R. v. Ewanchuk (1999) is an important case which provided insight on how rape myths and stereotypes that are reflective of the society were integrated into the legal sphere. This case involved a 17 year old girl that was interviewed by the accused in his van. The accused proceeded to numerous sexual advances of which in each advance, the complainant repeatedly said ‘no’. When the case was presented in the Court of Appeal of Alberta, Judge JohnShow MoreRelatedThe Representation Of Gender Masculinity1729 Words   |  7 Pagesthrough hegemonic constructions formed through colonisation. Due to being constructed by this dominant ideology, which in terms of a New Zealand context is Pakeha and male (Hegemony), the construction of masculinity appears natural. 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