TN women surpass men in justifying wife-beating
First Published : 23 Sep 2009 03:14:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 23 Sep 2009 06:45:20 AM IST
CHENNAI: A study by International Institute for Population Sciences reveals 51 per cent young men and 56 per cent young women in Tamil Nadu justify wife-beating. Around 8,000 youngsters responded to queries posed in the study conducted between May 2006 and January 2007. The study will be given to the State Health Ministry on Wednesday.Youngsters from both the sexes justify wife-beating under four circumstances — if a man suspects his wife’s fidelity; if a woman disagrees with her husband’s opinion; if a woman goes out without telling her husband; if a woman refuses to have sexual relations with her husband. Among unmarried youth, about 31 per cent men believe they will be right in assaulting their wives if they go out without informing them or disagree with their opinion. Beating men in the opinion stakes, 38 per cent women believe they deserve to be beaten if they do not agree with their husbands. About 36 per cent women feel beating is justifiable when women go out without telling husbands. About 33 per cent married men believe they can hit their wives if they are unfaithful or disagree with them. Among married women, 43 per cent justify being beaten if they fail to inform their husbands while going out. In the study, more than a quarter of women admitted to being victims of physical violence and about 34 per cent men said they had perpetrated it.