Real and Ideal Conceptions of Men and Women in Groups of Men Who Perpetrate Domestic Violence

A Gender-Informed Intervention Proposal

Abstract

Violence against women is a complex phenomenon with alarming figures in Brazil. As men are the main perpetrators of this type of violence, reflective work with them is essential to transform this reality. However, there is a shortage of specific theoretical and methodological tools for such interventions grounded in a gender-based perspective. The aim of this article was to propose a gender-informed intervention for Reflective Groups of Men Who Perpetrate Violence (RGMWPV). The study is based on the activity “Real and Ideal Conceptions,” developed within the Espaço Acolher service in the Federal District. The step-by-step implementation of the activity is described through the construction of four posters: Ideal Woman, Real Woman, Ideal Man, and Real Man. Trigger questions are proposed to problematize stereotypes, power hierarchies, and gender contradictions. Gender expectations are related to the exercise of violence through gender-based interpretative axes. The theoretical framework articulates feminist studies and Freirean pedagogy, grounded in the triad of informing, reflecting, and holding accountable. It is concluded that gender studies can support facilitators’ listening practices and interventions, creating fissures in naturalized discourses and promoting less essentialized and more fluid/flexible representations. The proposal aims to effectively contribute to the deconstruction of violent masculinities and to the accountability of perpetrators.