Citation

Zakar R, Zakar MZ, Kraemer A. Violence Against Women 2013; 19(2): 246-268.

Affiliation

1University of the Punjab, New Campus, Lahore, Pakistan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077801213478028

PMID

23448911

Abstract

This article documents the beliefs and attitudes of men toward intimate partner violence in Pakistan. Men's beliefs and attitudes toward partner violence are shaped by the life-long process of gender socialization, where the role of wife is projected as submissive and docile. Drawing on eight in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted in Lahore and Sialkot, this article presents how men perceive and justify partner violence within the context of Pakistani society. The data show that the construct of "ideal wife" inculcated among men fits into Foucault's notion of "docile bodies," which are subjected to control, discipline, and violent punishment.

Language: en