Concepts of Gender and the Global Abuse of Women

Throughout human history, violence against women has been one of the greatest moral and social problems faced by societies around the world. This continues to be true today. In North America, where most women enjoy strong social empowerment and legal protection, male perpetrated abuse of females continues to be an enormous problem. In much of the majority world, violence against women is even more prevalent. God designed human gender to reflect his own image, particularly his relationality. Our gender was furthermore designed to reflect equality and to produce intimacy, joy, and life. But in our current fallen world, conceptions and experiences of gender are confused and broken and have led to various types of destructive sin, including abuse. Such distorted views of gender, particularly ones that militate against gender equality, are leading factors in the widespread global abuse of women.