Talking about violence: How people convey stereotypical messages about perpetrator and victim through the use of biased language

Abstract

This chapter examines how the use of abstract language can reinforce sexist stereotypes about gender and domestic violence against women. The chapter first shows how gendered stereotypes operate in Polish society, using indicative examples from the coverage of domestic violence cases in the print media. These examples are analyzed in relation to Polish research on gender stereotypes including a discussion of the scope (and limits) of the influence stereotypes can exert on assessments of gender and domestic violence. This discussion then takes into consideration social psychological research concerned with the relationship between stereotyping and the level of abstractness of the words used to characterize persons and events. This research suggests that the kind of generalizations made in stereotypical statements- and the falsehoods and biases these often imply- can be conveyed in subtle ways without using blatantly obvious stereotypical remarks. However, these issues have not yet been studied with regard to abstract language use and domestic violence. Finally, new Polish research on the complex interactions between gender, sexist stereotyping, and language use is presented.