Men’s Reflections on Romantic Jealousy and Intimate Partner Violence in Mwanza, Tanzania

Abstract

Romantic jealousy is a prominent trigger for intimate partner violence. Yet, there are few studies on this relationship in sub-Saharan Africa and none captures men's perspectives. To expand the existing knowledge on romantic jealousy and its relation to intimate partner violence, our study analyzed 30 in-depth interviews with male participants. Triggers of romantic jealousy included suspicion or confirmed infidelity, reduced attention from their partners, and challenges to male supremacy. Men reported that intimate partner violence was a frequently used response to triggers of romantic jealousy. Social norms and inequitable gender norms were key underlying factors to all those triggers.

Pathways of romantic jealousy to intimate partner violence in Mwanza, northern Tanzania

“…This being the case, the worst can be expected when romantic jealousy, a blended emotion with complex evoking situations (Cano & O'Leary, 1997), is combined with mental health problems in men. As was observed in a recent study on men, those who lost control because they were jealous went to the extreme extents of murder, suicide, or perpetrated other forms of extreme violence to their partner or partner's lovers (Aloyce et al, 2022). In the current study as well, one participant described her jealous partner's behavior to be associated with the germ that activated the jealousy disease.…”

“…The curriculum can be aligned with a new paradigm shift of gender equality and good couple communication skills, among other things, to help solve relationship and marital conflicts among couples in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the significance of the communication skills interventions was also highlighted in a recent study on romantic jealousy and IPV (Aloyce et al, 2022). These can be complemented with mental health interventions, especially for men who suffer from anxiety and depression (Iwamoto et al, 2012).…”

“…A few other recent studies that analyzed the relationship between romantic jealousy and IPV also found an association with inequitable gender norms. For instance, in a study among Tanzanian men that analyzed romantic jealousy in men, hegemonic masculine norms were highlighted as a predominant issue that reinforced triggers for romantic jealousy in men (Aloyce et al, 2022). In the current study, these norms influenced the triggers for romantic jealousy in men as well as an interpretation of the reactions women gave to jealous partners.…”

“…People across all societies and cultures often misinterpret romantic jealousy as a sign that their partners care and, therefore, as an expression of love (Boyce et al, 2016). The feelings that romantic jealousy causes are experienced by both men and women and expressions of romantic jealousy depend on personality, relational features, and the cultural context (Aloyce et al, 2022; Buss, 2000; Cano & O'Leary, 1997). However, there are various negative consequences of romantic jealousy, such as physical and emotional IPV impacting women (Pavela et al, 2014), which highlights the gendered nature of romantic jealousy that puts women in a disadvantageous position.…”

“…The systematic review found few of the studies provided an in‐depth qualitative exploration (Pichon et al, 2020). In sub‐Saharan Africa, two studies have reported that men often reacted with violence in response to their own perceived or proven jealousy when their partner interacted with other men or were not at home (Aloyce et al, 2022; Kyegombe et al, 2022). To broaden the evidence‐based research in a country as highly affected by IPV as Tanzania, this paper reports on in‐depth interviews with 18 women in Mwanza, Tanzania, seeking to answer the following question: What are the pathways through which romantic jealousy triggers IPV against women?…”