A visceral method to study gender-based violence among youth

Abstract

People do not always verbalise what they really think, and this becomes significant when analysing individuals’ publicly expressed views on gender equality and gender-based violence. We developed a new method we call visceral to find out about subjective beliefs that go unrecognised and we do not admit to ourselves. Here, we explain the characteristics of that method, its stages, and the decisions involved in implementing it. We show how it applied to young people in a specific project about sexual violence. Through the systematic use of previously selected photographs, the method enables us to discover the deeper invisible patterns that influence people’s behaviour and are an obstacle to achieving a more equal society.