Violence against women may be motivated by frustration with football, research shows

The economist and master's student at the University of Economics, Administration, Accounting and Actuarial Science (FEA) at the University of São Paulo (USP), Isadora Bousquat Arabic, analyzed the relationship between football club to domestic violence.

The study entitled “Goal Against: Impact of football matches on violence against women” pointed out that the average number of police reports referring to incidents of domestic violence increases by 7,5% when negative and unexpected results occur in gambling games football club.

“What we call an 'unexpected and negative' result is when a team that has favoritism ends up being defeated, not confirming expectations”, describes the economist.

In other words, frustration with the team can be one of the factors that contribute to attacks on women. The game of football club causes an imbalance of power between the couple in the domestic environment – ​​caused by masculinity, competitiveness, rivalry – which creates a hostile and aggressive environment.

The research used data from 135 thousand Police Reports (B.Os) registered in the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, between 2015 and 2019. The focus of the analysis was crimes within the home, between romantic partners, whether ex or current.

The registration dates of the B.Os were crossed with the results of the Brazilian Championship games in Series A and B; in total, there were 3.800 games.

The main sports betting sites were consulted, where the researcher sought to define unexpected or negative results, that is, those that contradicted the expectations of fans and bettors. When expectations exist, the emotional shock of the fans is greater.

Isadora also consulted a platform called “Likes Map“, which was developed by Facebook in partnership with Globo Sport. This website serves as a basis for understanding the popularity of clubs in each region of the country.

In 2011, researchers from University of California School of Law analyzed cases of violence against women in unexpected results in the NFL, which is the professional American football sports league. The results obtained were similar to the USP study.

The economist also stated that she verified other types of violence against women.

“In addition to physical violence, we also identified the effect on psychological violence against women. It is important to highlight that domestic violence has five forms: physical, psychological, moral, sexual and property.”, describe Isadora, highlighting that, in all cases, the man appears as the 'aggressor' and the woman as the 'victim'”.

Femicides grow 10% in the country in the 1st half of 2022 and reach 699 victims

The number of femicides recorded in the first half of this year in Brazil is 10,8% higher compared to the same period in 2019, which was not affected by the dynamics imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. On average, four women were murdered per day between January and June, totaling 699 victims (3,2% more than last year).

What is femicide?

Femicide is the term used to describe murders of women committed based on gender. In other words, when the victim is killed simply because she is a woman. But what does this crime mean, exactly? Is every murder of a woman considered femicide? O Curto News explains it to you.

Here in Brazil, o Avon Institute and the Brazilian Public Security Forum carried out research that revealed worrying data. Threat rates against women and girls increase by 23,7% when a local football team plays. The research analyzed data from the Brazilian Series A Championship between 2015 and 2018, in five Brazilian capitals: São Paulo, Rio, Salvador, Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre.

Worrying, right? Such data reinforce the need and urgency for public policies and private actions to combat domestic violence.

A private sector movement called Business Coalition to End Violence Against Women and Girls works for mobilization and awareness and has the participation of football teams, such as São Paulo and the Sport.

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