1. Describe our cultural gender stereotypes, objectification and media representations of women and how these lead to violence against women. Gender is the set of psychological characteristics and social categories created by human culture. Doing gender is the concept that humans express their gender when interacting with each other; you do it every day without thinking about it. Messages about how a male or female should behave come from countless places. According to Helen M. Eigenberg in Woman Battering in the United States, “the construction of gender begins with assignment to a sexual category based on what the genitals appear at birth. So children are dressed or adorned in a way that shows their category because parents do not want to be constantly asked whether their child is a girl or a boy” (2001, p. 32). School, parents and friends influence a person. The treatment of one gender differs from that of another. Gender roles are also changing. Another important factor that influences millions of impressionable women and men is television. Television not only teaches each sex how to behave, but also shows how one sex should expect the other sex to behave. In current broadcast television, stereotypical behaviors range from programming for exceptionally young to adult audiences. In this context of transmission, women are portrayed as maternal, passive and innocent sexual objects, or they are completely neglected or seen as unimportant entities. In the United States, as well as in most of the world, people are bombarded with commercials, ads, and articles on a daily basis. The information is used to appeal to the masses. The society perpetuates violence against women through the use of medi...... middle of paper ......d forcing villagers to carry food, ammunition and equipment into the jungle. Women can't even go to the market without being grabbed by the throat and raped. Domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, rape, etc. intersect with each other. Many forms of violence are used in combination with each other to establish power and control over the victim. Furthermore, gender stereotypes, objectification, media portrayal of women and victim blaming increase and cause the use of violence against women. Works Cited Eigenberg, H. (2001). Women who beat in the United States. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc. Herbert, B. (2009, August 7). Women at risk. The New York Times, p. A19-A20. Russell, D. (1993). Pornography causes violence. Against pornography: evidence of harm (p. 149-151). Berkeley, CA: Russell Publications.