Sociological analysis of domestic violence as an aspect of gender policy (based on the results of a social research n the North Caucasus)

The author examines the problem of the influence of gender policy in the country on the level of domestic violence. State policy, developed by the legislative and executive bodies of state power, involves the regulation of all social relations within society, including the gender ones. The legislation of the Russian Federation creates all conditions for the development of gender equality. However, there is no institutional body in the country that would implement the existing legislation in full. Meanwhile, declining living standards leads to an increase in problems and a deterioration in interpersonal relationships in families and, accordingly, to an increase in domestic violence. It is necessary to systematically investigate this problem and develop proposals to protect women from domestic violence. The legislative framework in the republics of the North Caucasus on gender issues is similar to the all-Russian one. Nevertheless, being a unique region of the country, with its own cultural narratives and traditions, North Caucasus has its own characteristics and its own ideas about gender relations. Experts who took part in the survey on domestic violence note this peculiarity and to some extent associate the growth of domestic violence in recent years with these features. Experts, however, noted that the existence of a law on domestic violence could neutralize negative trends and protect women from this destructive social phenomenon. Reality dictates the need for systematic scientific research on this problem and the development on its basis of a program to protect women from domestic violence.