An Empirical Investigation of Attitudes towards Wife-beating among Men and Women in Seven Sub- Saharan African Countries

This study used data from the demographic and health surveys (DHS) conducted between 1999 and 2001 in Benin, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe, to examine the magnitude and correlates of conditional acceptance of wife-beating among both men and women. The acceptance of wife-beating for transgressing certain gender roles was widespread in all the countries. Men were consistently less likely to justify wife-beating than women. The results indicate that dominant social and cultural norms create images of ”ideal” women among both men and women that include definition and widespread acceptance of gender roles as well as sanction use of force to enforce these gender roles. Proactive measures may be required to change attitudes towards wife-beating among both men and women.

Source: African Journal of Reproductive Health Vol. 8, Num. 3, 2004, pp. 116-136 (John Hopkins University Center for Communications)