Domestic Violence against Women in Ghana: The Attitudes of Men toward Wife-Beating
Date
2017-08
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of International Women’s Studies
Abstract
This study examines the issue of domestic violence against women; specifically, men’s
attitudes toward wife beating. The data used was obtained from the 2011 Multiple Indicator Cluster
Survey (MICS). The results presented in this study come from a total 3,052 males from across all
the 10 regions i
n Ghana.
It is interesting to note that, although majority of the participants do not
endorse wife beating, there was a significant number of these men who thought wife beating was
justified for various reasons. That is, the attitude of men toward wife bea
ting is complex to explain
as the participants had divergent views regarding the issue. For example, while some were of the
opinion that wife beating is justified, others thought otherwise.
The results also established that there is a direct relationship between men’s level of
education and their attitudes toward wife beating. That is, those who were highly educated did not
endorse wife beating as compared to those who were not highly educate
d. Furthermore, men who
were in consensual unions or customary marriages were found to be in favour
of
wife
-beating
as
compared to their counterparts in other types of marriage. It is therefore recommended that
institutions that could help reduce domestic
violence particularly wife beating in Ghana such as,
Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, and the Domestic Violence and Victim
Support Unit (DOVVSU) will need to focus their attention on men with relatively low education
as well as thos
e in consensual and customary marriages.
Description
Keywords
Domestic violence, Wife beating, Human rights, Development, Education
Citation
Osei-Tutu, E. M., & Ampadu, E. (2017). Domestic Violence against Women in Ghana: The Attitudes of Men toward Wife-Beating. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 18(4), 106-116