Investigating Gender-Based Discrimination: Unveiling the Underlying Mechanisms

According to Feminist theories that have approached GBV, social changes related to globalization intersect with etiologies of Violence Against Women (VAW); the causes of VAW no longer stop at national borders.

For more than 15-years, the integrated social-ecological theory has evolved as a theoretical model for exploring the factors associated with VAW.

The primary research will investigate the relationship between basic cognitive functions (decision-making and emotion regulation), Need for Cognitive Closure, sexist beliefs, and acceptance of gender stereotypes, taking into consideration the Culture in Mind theoretical framework, on adherence to and perpetuation of Gender-Based Discrimination (GBD) through its implicit stereotypical manifestations.

VAW is one of the major public health problems worldwide: World Health Organization data reported that approximately one in three women worldwide has been a victim of violence.

The research project will be structured around four overarching objectives: 1)explore adherence to gender stereotypes in the reference sample; 2)identify the relationship between cognitive variables that lead to stereotypical thinking, to understand which relationships are strongest; 3)investigate which models explain the relationships between cognitive variables and stereotypical thinking; 4)make a comparison between Italy and Lithuania to investigate possible cultural differences.

Although the patterns of GBV differ across cultures, the fact that it is a worldwide phenomenon leads to the hypothesis that there are factors that outweigh the cultural aspects that allow discriminatory stereotypes to persist.

Therefore, the project aims to integrate into a single theoretical and innovative model the factors that most seem to be related to adherence to gender stereotypes. A policy recommendation will be prepared based on research findings. The innovative aspect of the project lies in an inclusive approach to gender equality seeking prevention of GBD.