Feminization of incest

The feminization of incest theorizes the disproportionate representation of men on the maternal side of the family in the women’s narratives of sexual violence (as interviewed by Gonzalez-Lopez).

• Men on the maternal side may not fear discipline or punishment from their sisters in the same way that they may fear their brothers.

• Men may also have been socialized to perceive their sisters as devalued and unworthy of empathy and thus feel that they can abuse their sisters’ daughters because they are inferior and not fully worthy of care and respect.