Unequal Power Relations

Question 1

Define the term rape and state two individual risk factors which could lead to this terrible experience

Answer 1

Rape is a type of sexual assualt involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without their consent.

Alchohol and drug abuse
Hostility towards women

Question 2

Recommend THREE ways in which teenagers can protect themselves against sexual assault, unwanted sexual attention, or unprotected sex

Answer 2

• Abstinence because abstaining from sexual intercourse is the most effective method of preventing pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (STD), and HIV/AIDS infection. This would give you a longer and healthier life
• Self-control because premature involvement in sexual behaviour poses risks . These risks may cause your goals to fall apart
• Right to privacy because we have personal boundaries that must be respected . People must understand that boundaries must be respected

Question 3

Define the term gender and mention two ways gender can lead to unequal power relations in the workplace

Answer 3

Socially constructed characteristics of men and women.

•Men are seen to be more professional/work savvy

•Men get paid more

•Women are sexually harassed by men in the workplace

Question 4

Discuss THREE ways citizens could address gender issues in the workplace

Answer 4

• Raise awareness through pamphlets, posters, or other media
• Ask the boss to host a talk on gender rights in the workplace to help address problems that have arisen or could arise in the future
• Speak to HR to ask them to speak to any offenders so that they can rectify their behaviour

Question 5

Suggest two ways that having more women in positions of power could affect the well being of the country’s population.

Answer 5

• It could show women that they can be powerful and deserve respect and they will be encouraged to not accept abuse or bad treatment in their daily lives . This will mean that women will not be defeated by negative behaviour as they work their way up to positions of power
• It provides young girls with role models they can relate to, increasing their chances of attempting to model a healthy and successful individual instead of choosing someone harmful from the media This means that more young women will become adults under healthy circumstances (without succumbing to peer-pressure, drugs, etc.) and be in better positions to work towards positions of power

Question 6

Give a definition for the term gender based violence and state THREE reasons why the COVID-19 pandemic may have increased cases of gender-based violence in relationships

Answer 6

• Any physical/verbal/emotional/psychological/behavioural harm of one gender by another because of the perceived weakness/differences between genders

• Survivors/victims were helplessly trapped with their abusers in one enclosed environment

• GBV was a way to assert power/dominance during a time when many people felt powerless

•Shelters for GBV victims were not open

Question 7

Explain TWO reasons why gender-based violence survivors may not want to report their experience

Answer 7

• Be concerned about the stigma associated with being a survivor and don’t report their experience to avoid being labelled/treated differently
• Be financially reliant on their abuser and feel that they must put up with the abuse in order to survive/feel that they have no other alternative

Question 8

Discuss THREE different forms of violence that may be experienced by women and marginalized people

Answer 8

• Physical beating, or threatening to harm a partner which could lead to severe injuries/hospital visits/loss of limbs/death
• Threatening to harm loved ones/animals they care about which could leave them paralysed by fear and indecision/feel pressured to stay in the relationship
• Destruction of personal belongingsto show them that they cannot have anything valuable/as a form of control over them/as a way to scare them into submission

Question 9

Suggest TWO strategies that the government could implement to reduce gender based violence.

Answer 9

• Provide shelters with grants/open up shelters in areas that are most affected, so that there are more places where survivors can go to get help , and that would make it easier for them to escape their abusive circumstances
• Ensure that perpetrators face strong consequences for their actions/ensure that perpetrators face the full might of the law so as to act as an example that GBV tendencies will not be tolerated , and they may then be less likely to continue with their behaviour due to the consequences they would have faced

Question 10

Define the term sexual orientation and state THREE reasons why people who are part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community may be more likely to experience violence

Answer 10

How a person relates to the other gender/genders in terms of being sexually attracted to them

• Be intolerant of people who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, leading to taunting and bullying when they meet them
• Treat them with a belief that beating may change their orientation
• Rape them with an aim of correcting their sexual orientation

Question 11

Analyze how experiencing violence within a relationship could lead to psychological trauma

Answer 11

• Worry that others will also treat them in an abusive manner as this is what they have been conditioned to expect , and so they withdraw mentally and emotionally from others/loved ones/family/friends to protect themselves from further abuse
• Have experienced so many attacks on their character, such as name-calling/shaming/gaslighting, that they start to believe these statements and lose their confidence and self-esteem, leading to beliefs that they are worthless , resulting in feelings of depression/suicidal thoughts/suicide

Question 12

Critically discuss the implications that relationships characterized by ongoing violence could have on a survivor’s ability to trust others in future relationships

Answer 12

• Develop fear of having relationships because of the experience they had , and therefore refrain from being involved with other people who may give them love and happiness
• Struggle to have normal
  interpersonal relations with other people because of the trauma caused by violence , as a result, their trust in others may be shattered to the extent that they may not want to associate with people