In a quiet suburban neighborhood, behind the freshly cut lawns and pristine houses, lies a disturbing secret, hidden behind closed doors. According to statistics, 1 in 3 women experience domestic violence from a partner. A statistic far too worrying to ignore.

Throughout history, women have always been treated as subpar to men. Women are often perceived as liars and untrustworthy. For instance, “studies show that college students and, even more disturbingly, police officers, believe that up to 50% of women lie when they accuse someone of rape…” However, false rape reports are only in the 2%-8% range. Not believing a rape report is life-changing. It could potentially lead to depression, STIs, PTSD, and even suicide. In courtrooms, not only are men considered more credible, but they are particularly thought more credible if they are discussing complex subjects. Why can’t women just be as credible?

In popular media today such as music, TV shows, and movies, women have been perceived over and over again as untrustworthy, manipulative liars. Even in children’s movies, women are sometimes depicted as deceitful characters. Many rap songs look down upon women and call them derogatory terms. Even quotes that date back to hundreds of years ago. “The word and works of God is quite clear, that women were made either to be wives or prostitutes.” –Martin Luther, a 16th-century reformer. Why has this been going on for so long?

A common occurrence is that men tend to trust their friends over their significant others, sometimes leaving deadly consequences. Just the suspicion of infidelity could lead to a woman’s death. In the play Othello, Othello believes the word of the conniving Iago, over his own wife Desdemona, and ultimately murders her. Key factors that could play into this are confirmation bias, insecurities, jealousy, and a concurrent lack of communication and trust. Confirmation bias is evidently shown when Othello sees the handkerchief and hears Cassio talk about a woman that Iago tricked him into thinking was Desdemona. He did not consider alternate explanations and instead assumed the worst. In real-life situations when people are more emotionally vulnerable, it is easier for them to be misled by the opinions or advice of others. Men might trust their friends rather than partners in situations like this because they are shown emotional support and validation, even if it is false. In many instances, our minds like to believe that our thoughts are correct, even if they are necessarily not.

Clearly, something needs to be done to combat this issue. These stereotypes have been deeply ingrained into our history and have continued for hundreds of years. What can be done about this dark subject matter? It’s time to break free from these harmful perceptions and start a change.