Understanding Gender Socialization: Interviews with Convicted Prisoners from New Delhi

While the public discourse on rape and violence against women in India has been gaining prominence, there is still a dearth of literature addressing these issues. Amongst available research, the focus has primarily been on victims, judiciary and policing systems while the perspectives of alleged offenders have been increasingly marginalized.The aim of the present study was to understand gender socialization in men convicted of rape (MCR) and men convicted of murder (MCM) at the interpersonal and individual level of social ecology. Narratives analysis was employed to identify prominent themes to measure similarities and dissimilarities in the way gender socialization occurs and also to understand attitudes towards the self, the victims and their crimes. These results are discussed in light of their significance within the unique socio-cultural set up of India along with future recommendations.