30% Of Women Across 14 States, UTs In India Justify Men Beating Their Wives: Survey

In a shocking revelation of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data, at least 30 per cent of women across 14 states and union territories justified women getting beaten by Men under specific circumstances.

The NFHS Survey questioned, "in your opinion, is a husband justified in hitting or beating a wife" to which more than 75 per cent of women across three states - Telangana (84%), Andhra Pradesh (84%) and Karnataka (77%) nodded in agreement. The percentage of women respondents justifying physical violence on women by men differed in various states Manipur (66%), Kerala (52%), Jammu and Kashmir (49%), Maharashtra (44%) and West Bengal (42%).

Refusal To Have Sex, Not Cooking Good Food, Among Various Reasons To Justify Violence

According to the reports of the Hindustan Times to substantiate their answer, these women respondents also put forth various reasons such as neglecting the house or children and being disrespectful towards in-laws, among other reasons like suspicion of being unfaithful, being argumentative, refusal to have sex, going out without informing the husband, neglecting the household and not cooking good food.

Whereas in states like Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Manipur, Gujarat, Nagaland, Goa, Bihar, Karnataka, Assam, Maharashtra, Telangana, Nagaland and West Bengal, "Disrespect to In-laws" came up as the primary reason as men beating their wives.

Harmful Gender Social Norms, The Reason Behind Justifying Violence

Amita Pitre, lead specialist, Gender Justice: Oxfam India, while speaking to news agency PTI said that the organization, while working with women, found that harmful gender social norms help justify violence against women and girls.

"All the reasons cited to justify violence on women are a product of these norms: if she neglects the house or children, if she refuses to have sex with the husband, if she doesn't cook food properly. All these define how women should behave in society,"

Pitre was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Pitre highlighted that it is important that women move away from such men if gender-based violence against women has to stop. NFHS Survey reveals, more than 30% of women justify 'men beating women'.

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