ABSTRACT
Violence against women and its prerequisite attitude of gender superiority is a social norm, with three inter-related factors said to play key roles in “training” individuals to become more violent toward women: modeling, immediate reinforcement, and male-bonded groups. The pull toward giving in to immediate reinforcement temptations is especially heightened when the chances of punishment are considered low, as is often the case with acts of violence or subjugation against women. As sad as statistics regarding incidents of abuse are, the statistics about low prosecution rates, light sentencing, and acceptance by women that violence is their lot in life are even more so. A pragmatic and clearly security-related reason to be working toward building strong civil societies is abating terrorism. Female genital mutilation or cutting is practiced as part of patrilineal societal norms and the deep entrenchment of gender inequality.
