Exploring Gender Roles, Domestic Violence, and Diverse Relationships

This essay delves into several aspects of relationships and gender dynamics within society. It begins by examining the role of maternalist culture in shaping gender differences in childcare provided by grandparents, extending the analysis to parental roles. The essay further investigates domestic violence, detailing techniques used by men against women and the challenges women face when attempting to escape such relationships. Finally, it contrasts polyamorous relationships with swinging lifestyles, discussing their similarities, differences, and societal stigmas. The analysis draws upon various sources to provide a comprehensive overview of these complex sociological issues.

Love, Sex and Relationship

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Answer 1
Maternalism culture believes that women can take care of children in ways in which men are
not. Under Maternalist culture, it is said that mothers can take care of children and she should
spend considerable time at home with her children, and devoted its energy and time on the
children care (Horsfall, and Dempsey, 2016). Earlier, it was a system that fathers did not
spend more time with children and earning money was the only responsibility fulfiled by
them. It can be said that maternalist culture principles and thoughts raises the differences
between men and women and also in their responsibilities. Grandparents take care of the
child but it is expected in maternalism culture that grandparent can take care of grandchildren
(Craig, and Jenkins, 2015).
It is observed that the regular care of children by grandparents develop the gender differences
in the context of maternal and paternal relations. In this world, the importance is given to the
paternalist culture over the maternalist culture. Regular care by grandparent develops the
gender differences because they follow the maternalist culture in which only the grandmother
can take care of its grandchildren (González, Jurado, and Naldini, 2014). It has been seen that
every family have their own rules and culture, after marriage, the women have to follow the
men’s family culture but before marriage, she follows her family culture. This process starts
from the childhood age; the children adopt the culture which is followed in its surrounding.
Children learn from them every step of the family if the parent doing job and grandparents
take care of children so that thoughts coming of children are same as the thoughts of its
grandparents (Horsfall, and Dempsey, 2015). In every wrong step, parents suggest them for
their right step but if the parents are doing the job; Grandparent taught the things that what is
right and what is wrong for them and it is observed that the most of grandparent follow the
maternalist culture and believes in women house framework. In the context of Parents, it has

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been seen that mothers are more taking care of their children as compared to men. She
devoted her energy and time in feeding and nurturing their children. Children learn from his
parents and follow them. The difference between the responsibilities creates the gender
differences.
Answer 2.
Domestic violence is a crime in which a person hurt the other family member specially
married couples. . It can be said that the spouse commits violence against the other spouse; it
can also take place in the heterosexual relationship. Domestic violence has the number of
forms such as emotional, economic, religious, reproductive, physical, verbal and sexual
abuse. Physical abuse includes choking, beating, acid throwing and others; domestic murders
include bride burning, dowry deaths, and honor killings. It has been analysed that, Women
face more violence as compared to men (Belle, 2017).
It has been seen that, women are suffering more violence and men live like victims. There are
many women those are helpless and seek for medical help. Murdered case is more against the
men which state that the men more abuse the women. Men use the many techniques against
the women in domestic violence such as acid throwing which harms the women skin. Men
abuse the women by verbally, physically, sexually and economically (Ragusa, 2017). There
are many women are burned by the men hust because of greedy behaviour and emotional
connection; these small reasons make the women life worst. Jealous is a reason which
encourages the men for domestic violence. Sexual harassment is also including in domestic
violence which is very painful for women. It is observed that 45% of rape cases are
committed by the partners and these cases come in attention very less (Hearn, 2012).
Women face many challenges to avoid the domestic violence such as women feel themselves
guilty or ashamed and many others challenges. Many women wanted that their family and

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friends help them but no-one take stepped in the personal life of spouse. It fights alone for her
rights and faced many problems but most of the women feel too ashamed to talk about the
domestic violence (Peters, and Wolper, 2018). Lack of knowledge is also a challenge which
is faced by women to avoid the domestic violence. Majority of women had no idea to get the
professional help. They had little or less knowledge of services which helps them to face
these challenges. It is difficult for them to reach the correct place for justice and it has a lack
of knowledge about her rights. It is also observed that women had a fear of social services
involvement; it feels embracing at the time of posting the complaints about her partner.
Social image is also a challenge which is faced by women; most of the women have fear
about the social talk which makes the life difficult for women. It makes the survival difficult
for women.
Answer 3.
The polyamorous relationship is a loving relationship with more than one partner with the
agreement of every partner. Swinging lifestyle is focusing on casual sex with more than one
partner. There are many differences between polyamorous relationship and swinger’s
lifestyle such as polyamorous relationship is a general romantic relationship with the more
than one partner. Swinging lifestyle focuses on casual sex without any commitment of love
with the partner. These both terms have different aspects of lifestyle; it is observed that some
polyamorous people have swing lifestyle and some swingers have a polyamorous relationship
(Matsick, Conley, Ziegler, Moors, and Rubin, 2014). In the context of culture, polyamorous
culture states that people can love more than one person as same as they can love more than
one child. But swinger’s lifestyle adopted by people and they believe that love commitment is
not required to having sex with the others. In polyamorous relation, people committed with
the other person for long-time love relationship but the Swinging lifestyle is that people did
not promise with each other. Swinging lifestyle is all about sex and fun and it is not about

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love. But the polyamorous relationship is all about love and commitments to each other.
Polyamorous relation means a serious and emotional connection with the more than one
person or it is affection with the multiple people. Swinging lifestyle means fun; there is no
serious and emotional connection with each other (Carter, Duncan, Stoilova, and Phillips,
2015).
There are many similarities in both terms of relationship; it is observed that people are the
open mind so that they are agreed with the commitment of more than one person. Cheating is
the other similarity in these relationships; people did not give any excuse or to create a
chance to find someone better. It has been seen that partners have strong bond and trust
which allows them to bring the new relationship with the other people. This is common in
both the cases, people stay happy without any worries of cheat and lies. Partners share a
strong bond with each other; they did not tell lie to each other (Deri, 2015).
From the above analysis, it can be said that both the relationship are unethical. But it is
observed that swinger’s lifestyle is more stigmatized than a polyamorous relationship.
Swinger’s lifestyle is something unfair to someone; in this people having sex only for their
needs but it is observed that people intimated with each other after the strong bond. It has
been seen that to heart someone is unethical and that’s why it can be said that swinger’s
lifestyle is disapproved by most of the people. Swinger’s lifestyle is more stigmatized as
compared to the polyamorous relationship (Kean, 2017).

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References
Belle, S. H., (2017) Exploiting the ‘good mother’ as a tactic of coercive control: Domestically
violent men’s assaults on women as mothers. Journal of Women and Social. 32(3) 374-389.
Carter, J., Duncan, S., Stoilova, M., and Phillips, M., (2015) Sex, Love and Security:
Accounts of Distance and Commitment in Living Apart Together Relationships. Sociology.
50(3) 576-593.
Craig, L., and Jenkins, B., (2015) Grandparental childcare in Australia: gender differences in
the correlates of providing regular grandparental care while parents work. Community, Work
& Family. 19(3), 281-301.
Deri, J., (2015) Love's refraction: Jealousy and compersion in queer women's polyamorous
relationships. University of Toronto Press.
González, M.J., Jurado, T., and Naldini, M., (2014) Introduction: Interpreting the
transformation of gender inequalities in Southern Europe. In Gender Inequalities in Southern
Europe. Routledge, pp. 10-40.
Hearn, J., (2012) The sociological significance of domestic violence: Tensions, paradoxes
and implications. Current sociology. 6(12), 152-170.
Horsfall, B. and Dempsey, D., (2015) Grandparents doing gender: Experiences of
grandmothers and grandfathers caring for grandchildren in Australia. Journal of Sociology,
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Horsfall, B. and Dempsey, D. (2016) Grandfathers in Australia. The Gendered Division of
Grandparent Care. In Grandfathers. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 147-164.

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Kean, J. J., (2017) Sex/love skirmishes: “swinging,” “polyamory,” and the politics of naming.
Feminist Media Studies. 18(3) 458-474.
Matsick, J.L., Conley, T.D., Ziegler, A., Moors, A.C. and Rubin, J.D., (2014) Love and sex:
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relationships. Psychology & Sexuality, 5(4), pp.339-348.
Peters, J.S. and Wolper, A. (2018) Women's rights, human rights: International feminist
perspectives. Routledge.
Ragusa, T. A., (2017) Rurality's Influence on Women's Intimate Partner Violence
Experiences and Support Needed for Escape and Healing in Australia. Journal of social
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