On this episode of the en(gender)ed podcast, our guest is Dr. Jessica Taylor, founder and owner of VictimFocus, an organization providing research, consultancy, and thought leadership in forensic psychology, feminism, and mental health. We speak with Jessica today about her book, Why Women Are Blamed for Everything, which covers the psychology of victim-blaming and self blame of women who have been subjected to sexual violence and abuse. We explore the double-bind of what it means to be a woman–the ways in which womanhood is constructed to give status with the male gaze, endanger women, and then hold them responsible when they are victimized.
During our conversation, Jessica and I referenced the following resources and topics:
- The documentary–Searching for Angela Shelton
- The role of sexism and misogyny in underpinning a culture of men’s violence against women
- The need for more evidence-based practices in prosecuting crimes against women
- Typical trauma reactions for victims to display–fight, flight, freeze, or fawn
- How money influences decisions in court cases affecting women
- The benefits of attitudinal testing for filtering out bias in decision-makers
- Judge Esther Salas’s connection to the Jeffrey Epstein case
- Trends in the US and UK where accountability for abuse is secondary to abuser trauma
- The work of Dale Spender
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