A gender-based violence report by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) revealed that almost 70% of South African men believed a woman should “obey” her husband.
The Minister of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, received the “First South African National Gender-Based-Violence Study” on Monday during a media briefing in Hatfield, Pretoria.
The survey sampled 5 603 women and 4 409 men, totalling 10 012 participants.
Parts of the study explored gender norms in gendered power relationships, where 8.3% of men believed a woman should often be beaten.
Some men expressed shocking opinions when it comes to rape.
While 9.9% said a woman is usually to be blamed after being raped, 11.9% claimed it is not rape when a woman does not fight back.
The study found some concerning beliefs between men and women in terms of power dynamics in intimate relationships.
Women (11.5%) said that a woman should tolerate violence to keep her family together, while 10.7% of men stated otherwise.
A few men still believed in a patriarchal household system, where 37.5% asserted a man should hold the final decision in all family matters, meanwhile, 19.6% women shared the same sentiments.
Additionally, 66.6% of men still believed in traditional gender roles, where a woman’s most important role is to take care of her home and cook for her family, unlike the 59.6% of women who agreed.
There was a concern in the 22.5% of men who said a woman cannot refuse to have sex with her husband.
Another 24.5% cohort of men argued a man “owns” his wife once he has paid dowry for her, and 31.5% said they would be ashamed to have a gay son.
The survey recorded that 48.0% of women agreed that they are responsible for avoiding and preventing pregnancies, while 29.4% of men agreed.
The study shed some light that 58% of women–an estimated 11.9 million– were physically abused before the age of 15, while 4.0% experienced sexual abuse in their childhood.
In the same light, 74.6% of men– 14.5m– were victims of physical abuse before they reached 18, meanwhile, 15.7% were sexually abused.
The study further spotlighted that black women were most vulnerable to GBV, because lifetime physical violence was significantly higher among black African women with 35.5%, compared to other races.
Being a marginalised and vulnerable demographic people in society, the study found that 40.4% of differently-abled women above the age of 18 experienced lifetime physical violence, 15.3% were victims of sexual violence, and 42.5% had encountered both physical and sexual violence.
As 16 Days of Activism against GBV is approaching, Chikunga emphasised that society is also responsible for tackling these startling findings.
“During this time, we make the whole of South Africa focus on this scourge because it has to be fought by everyone,” she said.
The Star
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