Direct, structural, and symbolic violence: A feminist approach to rape culture

Abstract

This article analyzes sexual violence against young women in Sinaloa from a feminist and psychosocial perspective, situating rape culture as part of a web of multiple forms of violence. Our objective was to explore the narratives of university women to understand how sexual violence manifests in its different dimensions and how these experiences are given meaning. We employed a qualitative methodological design grounded in feminist epistemologies. Eleven in-depth interviews were conducted with female students at the Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa. The narratives were analyzed through thematic content analysis, which allowed us to identify expressions of direct, structural, and symbolic violence, as well as the discourses and myths that legitimize them. The findings reveal that sexual violence cannot be understood as isolated events but rather as practices of power inscribed within a patriarchal order that operates both in the public and private spheres and is sustained by institutions, social imaginaries, and cultural narratives. In conclusion, this article offers a critical reading of the concept of rape culture, expanding it toward the notion of hybrid violences to highlight the interconnection between symbolic, structural, and direct dimensions. This contribution underscores the persistence of gender inequalities and opens a space for reflection on the need to produce critical knowledge about the conditions that sustain sexual violence in Mexico.