Survey: 84% Women Agree To Husbands Assaulting Wives

There are laws to check domestic violence against women and protect their rights. However, will the legislations come to the rescue of women in a society which has already set some strict norms for her demeanour in the in-laws’ house is a big question.

The National Health and Family Survey-5 report made a startling revelation that women themselves do not find anything wrong if husbands manhandled wives, if they do not conform with the societal norms.

Over 30 per cent of women in 14 states across the country opined that mistreating by husbands is not a crime. Coming to the Telugu states, a whopping 84% of women found nothing absurd if husbands beat wives, in special circumstances, according to the survey.

Positive response

As part of the survey held in 18 states, women were asked if they would accept harassment by husbands to which many responded in the positive.

It was suggested that the women consider reasons like suspecting the fidelity of the wife, woman not respecting her in-laws, arguing with husband frequently, not accepting to have sex with husband, going out without informing the husband, neglecting household chores and children, failing to cook tasty food, for the outrage from men in their families, while answering the question.

Social norms

Over 75% of women in three states who participated in the survey felt that being beaten by husband was acceptable. About 84% of women taking part in the survey from both the Telugu states said there was nothing wrong in men punishing their wives by beating her, if the latter did anything against the social norms.

Over 77% per cent in Karnataka, 66% in Manipur, 52% in Kerala, 49% in Jammu Kashmir, 44% in Maharashtra and 42% in West Bengal too concurred with the Telugu women.

Many women felt there was no need to raise a hue and cry when wives were beaten if they neglected their families or children and fail to give due respect to the in-laws and their family members.

Patriarchal society

Women in 13 states including Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and West Bengal revealed that husbands usually harass wives if they do not treat their in-laws with high esteem.

Significantly, in Himachal Pradesh, only a meagre 14.6% of women agreed to husbands beating wives.

A glaring point in the survey is that it was women, more than the men, who accepted the norm of husbands punishing wives for their mistakes through domestic abuse.

The reasons for likelihood of men assaulting their wives like not cooking tasty food, not agreeing to have sex with him or not respecting her in-laws are mostly norms set by the society for a married woman, pointed out a representative of Oxfam India.

It is time the feminists give a second thought to their goals and the change they aim to bring in the society, considering the survey report which proves the biggest enemy of a woman is another woman.

The survey also helps one understand why the huge TRPs for family drams on televisions involving rivalry among women.