Victim Blaming in Religion-Based Sexual Harassment and Religious Patriarchical Culture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58879/ijcep.v5i3.149Keywords:
Victim Blaming, Sexual Harassment, Religious Patriarchical CultureAbstract
Sexual harassment is a complex social issue often exacerbated by the practice of victim-blaming, the tendency to blame victims for the violence they experience. In societies with strong religious beliefs, this practice often gains legitimacy through gender-biased religious interpretations influenced by patriarchal culture. This article aims to analyze the relationship between victim-blaming in sexual harassment cases and the construction of a religious patriarchal culture through a literature review approach. The method used is a literature study by examining various scientific articles, books, and research findings that discuss sexual harassment, gender inequality, patriarchy, and religious perspectives on victims. The results of the study indicate that a religious patriarchal culture contributes to shaping narratives that place victims as responsible for the harassment, for example through assessments of women's dress, behavior, or social roles. Religious interpretations that are insensitive to gender equity also have the potential to reinforce stigma against victims and hinder the reporting and recovery process. Therefore, a more contextual, inclusive, and victim-protection-oriented religious approach is needed to reduce the practice of victim-blaming and encourage the creation of a more just and safe environment for all parties.
References
Abdul Hamid, H. B. B. (2021). Exploring Victim Blaming Attitudes in Cases of Rape and Sexual Violence: The Relationship with Patriarchy. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 6(11), 273–284. https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v6i11.1147
Ali, S. A., & El Majdoubi, I. (2024). Rape Culture and Victim Blaming: A Historical and Religious Perspective. Journal of Gender, Culture and Society, 4(1), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.32996/jgcs.2024.4.1.5
Arifianto, Y. A., & Rahayu, Y. F. (t.t.). ETIS TEOLOGI KRISTEN DALAM MENYIKAPI GERAKAN #METOO: MEMBACA MAKNA KESETARAAN GENDER DALAM KONTEKS TEOLOGI DAN PERLINDUNGAN TERHADAP KORBAN KEKERASAN SEKSUAL.
Boyer, C., Levy Paluck, E., Annan, J., Nevatia, T., Cooper, J., Namubiru, J., Heise, L., & Lehrer, R. (2022). Religious leaders can motivate men to cede power and reduce intimate partner violence: Experimental evidence from Uganda. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(31), e2200262119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2200262119
Chandra, H. C., Randan, S., Nixon, G., Giovanni, D., & Najoan, J. M. (2022). Wadon Sing Mendhem Rasa: A Feminist Reinterpretation of Woman Who Commits Adultery: International Conference on Theology, Humanities, and Christian Education (ICONTHCE 2021). https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220702.052
Darma, I. M. W., Triwulandari, I. G. A. A. M., & Bunga, D. (2022). VICTIM BLAMING: LABELING FOR WOMEN VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN HUMAN RIGHTS PERSPECTIVE. International Journal of Law Reconstruction, 6(2), 212. https://doi.org/10.26532/ijlr.v6i2.23887
Ganira, C. K., Savala, A., & Maseno, L. (2025). Patriarchy as a Form of Gender-Based Violence within the Religious Circle: A Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church Reflection. African Journal of Empirical Research, 6(2), 147–153. https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.6.2.12
Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x
Indonesian Police Officer, Polda Metro Jaya, Jakarta, & Supriyanto, S. (2023). Victim Blaming in Sexual Harassment Cases: A Critique of Societal Views. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 06(06). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v6-i6-65
Landman, C., & Mudimeli, L. M. (2022). The spiritual experiences of women victims of gender-based violence: A case study of Thohoyandou. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 78(3). https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v78i3.7528
Maharani, N. P. (2024). Analysis of Victim Blaming Culture in Indonesia. Asian Journal of Engineering, Social and Health, 3(12), 2798–2812. https://doi.org/10.46799/ajesh.v3i12.468
Puchner, L., & Markowitz, L. (2022). Sexism in Facebook discourse about clergy misconduct. Discourse & Society, 33(1), 74–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/09579265211048726
Razak, A., Nuraini, N., Putra, R. S., & Kurniawan, R. (2024). Patriarchy and Paternalistic Culture of Religious Leader Deification Causing Sexual Harassment in Islamic Educational Institutions. El Harakah: Jurnal Budaya Islam, 26(1), 139–170. https://doi.org/10.18860/eh.v26i1.26215
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Whitnah, M. (2022). Evangelical Organizations’ Responses to Domestic Violence: How the Cultural Production of Religious Beliefs Challenges or Enshrines Patriarchy. Review of Religious Research, 64(3), 427–450. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13644-022-00493-2
Xiao, Y., & Watson, M. (2019). Guidance on Conducting a Systematic Literature Review. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 39(1), 93–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X17723971
Published
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2025 Anisa Dwi Ramadani , Siti Anisah , Muhamad Slamet Yahya

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.