Attitudes towards Intimate Partner Violence against Women among Women and Men in 39 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Abstract

BackgroundViolence against women perpetrated by an intimate partner (IPV) is prevalent in low- and middle-income countries (LAMIC). The aim was to describe the attitudes of women and men towards perpetration of physical violence to women by an intimate partner, in a large group of low- and middle-income countries.Methods and FindingsWe used data from Round Four of the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. Attitudes towards IPV against women were assessed by a study-specific scale asking if ‘wife beating’ is justified in any of five circumstances.Overall, data from 39 countries (all had data from women and 13 countries also had data from men) were included in the analyses. The proportions of women who held attitudes that ‘wife-beating’ was justified in any of the five circumstances varied widely among countries from 2.0% (95% CI 1.7;2.3) in Argentina to 90.2% (95% CI 88.9;91.5) in Afghanistan. Similarly, among men it varied from 5.0% (95% CI 4.0;6.0) in Belarus to 74.5% (95% CI 72.5;76.4) in the Central African Republic. The belief that ‘wife-beating’ is acceptable was most common in Africa and South Asia, and least common in Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. In general this belief was more common among people in disadvantaged circumstances, including being a member of a family in the lowest household wealth quintile, living in a rural area and having limited formal education. Young adults were more likely to accept physical abuse by a man of his intimate partner than those who were older, but people who had never partnered were less likely to have these attitudes.ConclusionsViolence against women is an international priority and requires a multicomponent response. These data provide evidence that strategies should include major public education programs to change attitudes about the acceptability of IPV against women, and that these should be addressed to women and girls as well as to boys and men.

Gender-Based Violence-Supportive Cognitions in Adolescent Girls and Boys: The Function of Violence Exposure and Victimization

“…However, findings of a recent large-scale study using Round Four of the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys data obtained from 39 low-and middle-income countries, show that the prevalence of attitudes accepting a husband beating his wife are among the lowest for females from the Caribbean (Tran, Nguyen, & Fisher, 2016). This indicates that even though Caribbean women may silently endure violence perpetrated against them, they do not necessarily internalise societal norms condoning IPV.…”

“…Interestingly, familial victimisation was not related with greater acceptance of physical domestic violence. Although prior research exploring such a relationship is lacking, recent empirical evidence demonstrated low acceptance of wife beating among Caribbean women (Tran et al, 2016), in spite of the frequent occurrence of IPV in the region (Le Franc et al, 2008). One possible explanation of differential associations between child victimisation and attitudes towards domestic violence and violence against girls, is that the process of violence normalisation may apply across settings (i.e., violent treatment first experienced in the family is also accepted in romantic relationships) but not across victim types (i.e., abuse of girls does not expand into accepting marital abuse of women).…”

Factors influencing beliefs about intimate partner violence among adults in South Korea

“…However, considering the above point compared to societies with other cultural frameworks, such as the Arabs, beliefs about IPV are relatively healthy, not only among women but also among men (Haj‐Yahia, ). Tran, Nguyen, and Fisher () reported that the attitude and cultural norm that IPV is acceptable are the most significant factors related to the likelihood of violent behavior. Therefore, further study is needed to compare the beliefs about IPV in Korea with other research performed in other countries.…”

“…In the multiple regression model, women, graduates of university, those of younger age, and those with no experience of witnessing parental violence had healthier beliefs about IPV. Gender, social norms, and attitudes about traditional gender roles may shape beliefs about IPV (Tran et al., ). However, with the emphasis on gender equality due to the influence of Western culture, the young generations’ values and beliefs are changing a great deal in Korea (Kim & Song, ).…”

“…In addition, socio‐demographic characteristics such as educational level had a significant correlation. It was reported that level of education and attitudes about IPV showed significant relationships in every country (Tran et al., ). Those who witnessed violence by their fathers toward their mothers in childhood tended to justify violence more than those without this experience.…”