Violence against women continues to be a relevant and recurring issue with historical origins. It has become commonplace — so much in fact that it isn’t even surprising to some. Across cultures, the notion that men have an authoritative rule over women is normalized, as well as encouraged. Young boys are usually taught that masculinity is an important trait which is easily obtained by being dominant in society, while young girls are usually taught that they must abide by certain rules in order to keep themselves out of harm, and these involve being submissive to the decisions of male figures. This in turn sets up societal power structures that engrain traditional gender roles into young minds as soon as they are born, which often lead to harmful mindsets that encourage and fuel men’s authority over women.

There are many opinions surrounding the issue of violence against women. Many partake in victim blaming, which basically tells abuse victims that they are at fault for being abused. As a result, many victims do not report cases of abuse. Other reasons for not reporting abuse are due to the fear of backlash by an abuser, and the fact that many abuse victims are accused of lying. A current example of this: allegations of sexual abuse against Bill Cosby. Numerous women were reluctant to describe about their experiences for many years, and when they did, many people came forward not to defend these women, but to defend Cosby instead. He recently attempted suing one of these women in a defamation suit. An event like this is what these women feared; Cosby’s celebrity status and power as a man in the industry quite literally saved him from facing criminal charges. The fact that over 60 women have come forward to share their stories and there is still speculation as to whether Cosby did anything wrong at all shows that there are many problems that must be addressed in order to make this an effective fight.

Social expectations of women deeply affect the chances of their voices being heard, and this deepens when women attempt to address abuse, whether they are talking about their own experiences, or acting as allies for victims. Many people question the credibility of victims, saying that they lie about their experiences for various reasons. In reality, a tiny percentage of reported cases turn out to be false. A continuous social hierarchy has acted against women in order to preserve the power that society has given men. A simple request of victims and allies alike is to speak out about abuse and advocate against it, as well as against the perpetuation of harmful gender roles and social norms. Because society gives a louder voice and bigger platform to men, women must work against social hierarchy in order to be able to spread awareness about violence that is seen as normal. It is also because of this that men are encouraged to advocate for the end of violence against women.