From the patriarchal vision to the empowerment of women through secondary victimization and victim blaming

The essay aims to reflect, in the theoretical framework of Bourdieu (1998) on the types of violence whose effects translate into an objectification of women and into a social reproduction of attitudes typical of patriarchal society which, declining into habitus, crystallize in the daily behavior of individuals and institutions. In this context, violence against women (Istanbul Convention 2011) reiterates, even today, a social structure based on asymmetric power relations which does not allow them to acquire the determination necessary to escape from “natural” subordination. Violence remains hidden and, very often (Grevio Report 2019), produces a sense of distrust even in institutions as in the case of the phenomenon of secondary victimization (Vonderhaar and Carmody 2015) which, once again, explains delays in fighting violence. For these reasons, the prevention of violence requires a cultural approach inspired by the principles of gender equality, also considering the possible bias of A. I. in terms of gender stereotypes, which is capable of increasing women’s empowerment, making them “capable” (Sen 1979) of carrying out own choices in autonomy and freedom (Grignoli 2022) for a sustainable social future.