Ending Men's Violence Against Women and Children: The No To Violence Journal, 2014, Autumn: 59-77

"The concept of patriarchy as a social ideology has slipped from the Western vocabulary as social and political focus has turned increasingly toward the individual. This discussion explores the role patriarchy plays today in the lives of teenage girls and its association with their use of violent behaviour. Findings from the Girls' Project (Swift, 2011), a two-year investigation of girls' violence, conducted in the Tasman Police District, New Zealand, identified that girls' violence begins long before the first punch is thrown; it is steeped in interpersonal anti-social behaviour that extends along a continuum of intensity, influenced by patriarchal undertones. This discussion identifies patriarchy as a dominant ideology that fosters competition between girls in the pursuit of the heterosexual ideal. Crucial to the findings was the identification of the role that males play as catalysts for girls' violence. The discussion also highlights the influence a prviledged masculine standard of behaviour holds for girls unconfortable with their assigned gendered script." (Author's abstract)