Discuss the sociological significance of recognizing violence against men. How do patriarchal norms contribute to under-reporting of male victimization?

Violence against men is a prevalent and underreported phenomenon. Reports on child sexual abuse show underreporting of sexual abuse against boys, showing the sociological significance.

Contribution of Patriarchal Norms

1.> Gender roles of men as the "active agent" (Leela Dube) → leads to viewing men as "actors" and women as "recipients" of actions.

2.> Patriarchal norm of hegemonic masculinity → glorification of "strong", "invulnerable" men → reporting or complaining about violence seen as weakness.

3.> Gender-biased laws Pratiksha Baxi argues that rape law in India suffers patriarchal bias of women as "victims" and men as "offenders"

Thus the solution is gender neutral laws.