IP0604 Femicide nation: The psychology of gender-based violence

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-7ehib-1a70200

Content Note: This episode discusses gender-based violence and femicide. Please take care of yourself while listening. 

Gender-based violence is often described as a crisis. But what if it’s also a system?

In this episode of Intersectional Psychology, we examine how patriarchal ideology helps produce and sustain gender-based violence in South Africa. From early childhood socialisation to cultural practices, institutional failures, and historical inequalities, violence against women does not emerge in isolation — it grows out of deeply embedded power structures.

The episode also examines the profound psychological, social, and economic consequences of domestic violence for survivors, families, and communities. Finally, we explore what research tells us about prevention: why community-driven interventions are often more effective than isolated policy responses, and what it might take to dismantle the systems that allow gender-based violence to persist.

Because ending gender-based violence requires more than responding to individual acts of harm. It requires confronting the structures that make that harm possible.

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⏳ Chapter Timestamps

| 00:00:00 Short introduction 
| 00:01:09 Land acknowledgement
| 00:01:37 Title credits: Femicide nation: The psychology of gender-based violence 
| 00:02:01 Welcome and introduction continued 
| 00:07:02 Patriarchy: Not just an individual problem
| 00:09:57 How violence gets normalised early 
| 00:12:29 “Boys will be boys” and other dangerous myths 
| 00:16:40 Intersectionality: Violence has a history 
| 00:19:36 What violence does to people 
| 00:21:29 What actually works 
| 00:24:21 Dismantling patriarchy is prevention 
| 00:27:47 Conclusion 
| 00:31:08 End credits

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References

Gqola, P.D. (2015) Rape: A SA Nightmare. Johannesburg: MF Books.
Gqola, P.D. (2021) Female Fear Factory: Gender and Patriarchy Under Racial Capitalism. Johannesburg: MF Books.
Pretorius, L. (2025). South Africa declared gender-based violence a national disaster. But how will frontline workers be kept safe? The Conversation [online]. December 9, 2025. Available at: https://theconversation.com/south-africa-declared-gender-based-violence-a-national-disaster-but-how-will-frontline-workers-be-kept-safe-271323 
Ramaphosa, C. (2025). Violence against women is a national disaster that demands national action. South African Government [online]. December 8, 2025. Available at: https://www.gov.za/blog/violence-against-women-national-disaster-demands-national-action 
Rasethaba, L. (dir.) (2018) The People vs. Patriarchy. MTV South Africa [online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAoPFeObqe4 (Accessed 21 July 2024)
Uguru, H. (2025). South Africa finally declares GBV a national disaster. The New Humanitarian [online]. December 2, 2025. Available at: https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2025/12/02/south-africa-finally-declares-gbv-national-disaster 

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