Violence against women is a global burden. It is deeply rooted in culture and religion; supported, and in many cases, even institutionalized by patriarchal societies. The main objective of this study was to understand the psychosocial dimensions of the attitude of men towards violence against women. An integrated approach combining both qualitative and quantitative methods was adopted using five instruments – household survey, attitudinal scale, in-depth interview, case study, and focus group discussion. 502 males from separate households were interviewed for the survey and 100 in-depth interviews were conducted. Eight incidences of violence were purposively selected for case studies and two focus group discussions were organized. Data were collected from villages in different parts of Mymensingh district. The study found that violence against women was considered to be ranked at the bottom of the list of problems that existed in the respondents’ village. Of different types of violence against women, physical violence followed by psychological one was considered to be the most important in their society. Respondents believed that all females should be respected in general and had an objective view about females in many cases, an attitude very much supporting the interest of females. On other hand, they held an attitude leading to a tendency to control the action of females and exert authority over them.
Authors: Rafi, Mohammad; Banu, Dilruba; Alim, Md. Abdul; Akter, Shaheen
Type: Report
Year: 2003
