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Housing and Patrimonial (Property) Violence against Women: The Reproduction of Gender Asset Inequalities in Brazil
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 December 2023
Abstract
Accessing and retaining adequate housing can be a major challenge for low-income city residents, particularly women trying to escape domestic abuse. Focusing on housing struggles amidst urban poverty, this article explores a specific kind of gender-based violence – violation of women's property rights – recognised by Latin American legal systems as ‘patrimonial violence against women’. Drawing on qualitative research in Brazil, this article shows how women are likely to experience gendered evictions and dispossession, and why patrimonial violence against women remains largely misunderstood and underreported, despite legal progress. The discussion expands current understandings of the interplay between gender, violence (explicit or otherwise) and the reproduction of asset inequalities.
Vivienda y violencia patrimonial contra las mujeres: la reproducción de las desigualdades económicas basadas en el género en brasil
Acceder y retener una vivienda adecuada puede ser un gran reto para residentes de bajos ingresos en las ciudades, particularmente para mujeres enfrentando violencia doméstica. Centrándose en los desafíos relacionados a la vivienda en contextos de pobreza urbana, este artículo explora un tipo específico de violencia basada en género – la violación de los derechos de propiedad de las mujeres – reconocido por los sistemas legales latinoamericanos como ‘violencia patrimonial contra las mujeres’. Con base en una investigación cualitativa en Brasil, el artículo muestra cómo las mujeres experimentan desalojos y desposesión basados en género, y por qué la violencia patrimonial contra las mujeres permanece en gran parte malentendida y subreportada, a pesar de los avances legales. La discusión amplía la comprensión actual sobre las relaciones entre desigualdades de género, las violencias (explícitas o silenciadas) y la reproducción de las desigualdades económicas.
Moradia e violência patrimonial contra as mulheres: a reprodução das desigualdades econômicas baseadas em gênero no brasil
Acessar e permanecer em uma moradia adequada pode ser um grande desafio para pessoas de baixa renda, especialmente para mulheres enfrentando violência doméstica. Com foco nos desafios habitacionais em contextos de baixa renda, este artigo explora um tipo específico de violência baseada em gênero – a violação dos direitos de propriedade das mulheres – reconhecida nas legislações latino-americanas como ‘violência patrimonial contra a mulher’. A partir de uma pesquisa qualitativa no Brasil, o artigo mostra como as mulheres tendem a sofrer despejos e despossessões baseadas em gênero, e discute os desafios para identificação, notificação e enfrentamento da violência patrimonial contra a mulher, apesar dos recentes avanços legais. A discussão expande a atual compreensão sobre as complexas relações entre desigualdades de gênero, violências (explícitas ou silenciadas) e a reprodução de desigualdades econômicas.
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- Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press
References
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22 The Partial Community Property Regime is governed by Federal Law No. 10.406/2022 (Civil Code), art. 1.658. The property rights of women in marriage and in consensual unions are similar (Federal Laws Nos. 8.971/1994 and 9.278/1996); the terms ‘marital’ and ‘consensual’ are therefore used interchangeably in this article.
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