Background:
Gender inequalities in Brazil have foundations in patriarchy, capitalism and racism, studies need to be carried out to question the naturalization of social roles assigned to genders (male and female) that naturalize the dynamics of gender violence.

Objective:
To analyze the narratives about femininity and gender inequalities from the point of view of male perpetrators of violence indicted by the Civil Police, referred to the Specialized Police Station for Women, a reference in Greater Vitria-ES.

Methods:
This is a descriptive and exploratory study, with a qualitative approach, with 20 male perpetrators of violence (MPV) referred to a service of the Specialized Police Station for Assistance to Women, a reference for the municipalities of Greater Vitria-ES, Brazil. Data collection took place between September and October 2021, using a semi-structured interview. The narratives were transcribed and, with the help of Atlas.ti software, version 9.0, underwent an analysis of enunciation under the theoretical lenses of Habitus, by author Bourdieu, and Domination-exploration, by Saffioti. The research question was: what are the MPV narratives about femininity that, therefore, strengthen practices of gender inequalities?

Results:
Male perpetrators of violence referred to the following central ideas about what it means to “be a woman”: to be affectionate/caring, companion, faithful, respectful; have dialogue, posture; does not prevent man from carrying out his will; it is not vulgar; it is not conflictual; it does not go out alone for leisure or sell itself for money; no gender swap. It was observed that most cases of gender violence were motivated by jealousy.

Conclusion:
These characteristics attributed to the female figure are a fertile ground for gender inequalities, as well as for violence against women, addressing women to the role of a docile, passive and submissive body. This view helps maintain the culture of mens domination over women.