Justifications for men beating their wives
Location
SU-216
Start Date
2-5-2025 11:20 AM
Department
Marketing and Management
Abstract
One in three women experience either physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. A consistent factor in the causation of violence comes from the social narratives and norms surrounding gender inequality. These harmful beliefs, such as the obligation for women to be submissive and the perceived right to discipline them for failing their 'womanly duties,' contribute to the perpetuation of this violence. This study seeks to identify correlations between sociodemographic factors and both abuse and the perceived justifications for such violence. We analyzed data from the USAID Demographic and Health Surveys that aggregated agreement with key questions regarding violence against women across gender, education level, and sociodemographic factors. Survey responses were provided as percentages, indicating the proportion of people who answered "yes" within each category. Unfortunately, sample sizes are not provided. We organized the data by specific characteristics and calculated the median of the reported percentages. The percentage of people who answered “no” was calculated by subtracting the median “yes” percentage from 100, assuming a binary response format. Among six perceived justifications, the highest agreement was for 'A man is justified in beating his wife…for at least one reason' (28.5%), followed by 'if she neglects the children' (18.8%). Overall, 14.9% of respondents agreed that intimate partner or non-partner violence against women is justifiable. Agreement was higher among individuals aged 15–24 and those with lower education levels, those employed for non-monetary compensation, and those who were widowed, divorced, or separated. Notably, we found that the percentage of women in agreement greatly surpassed that of the men. We also found that education emerged as the only sociodemographic factor with a statistically significant relationship to the justification of violence. Our findings highlight the importance of expanding educational opportunities and challenging harmful gender norms to address and reduce violence against women.
Faculty Sponsor
Beverly Gonzalez
Justifications for men beating their wives
SU-216
One in three women experience either physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. A consistent factor in the causation of violence comes from the social narratives and norms surrounding gender inequality. These harmful beliefs, such as the obligation for women to be submissive and the perceived right to discipline them for failing their 'womanly duties,' contribute to the perpetuation of this violence. This study seeks to identify correlations between sociodemographic factors and both abuse and the perceived justifications for such violence. We analyzed data from the USAID Demographic and Health Surveys that aggregated agreement with key questions regarding violence against women across gender, education level, and sociodemographic factors. Survey responses were provided as percentages, indicating the proportion of people who answered "yes" within each category. Unfortunately, sample sizes are not provided. We organized the data by specific characteristics and calculated the median of the reported percentages. The percentage of people who answered “no” was calculated by subtracting the median “yes” percentage from 100, assuming a binary response format. Among six perceived justifications, the highest agreement was for 'A man is justified in beating his wife…for at least one reason' (28.5%), followed by 'if she neglects the children' (18.8%). Overall, 14.9% of respondents agreed that intimate partner or non-partner violence against women is justifiable. Agreement was higher among individuals aged 15–24 and those with lower education levels, those employed for non-monetary compensation, and those who were widowed, divorced, or separated. Notably, we found that the percentage of women in agreement greatly surpassed that of the men. We also found that education emerged as the only sociodemographic factor with a statistically significant relationship to the justification of violence. Our findings highlight the importance of expanding educational opportunities and challenging harmful gender norms to address and reduce violence against women.