Women Tolerate Wife Beating – Report

Michael J. Ssali

27 April 2011

Masaka — Uganda records the highest percentage of women internationally who agree that wife beating is acceptable if a wife argues with her husband according to the World’s Women and Girls 2011 Data Sheet. According to the report, 40 per cent of the women interviewed in Uganda said it was okay for a man to beat his wife if she argues with him over any issue.

India is second with 30 per cent of its women holding a similar view, and Ghana comes third at 21 per cent. Ironically, there are more women than men who find wife beating acceptable in all the three countries.

Thirty six per cent of Ugandan men said it was acceptable to beat their wives if they argued with them while India had 26 per cent men and Ghana had 11 per cent men holding a similar view. The report is prepared annually by the Washington based Population Reference Bureau.

However, at 36 per cent of its men accepting wife beating over an argument, Ugandan men lead the world in condoning wife beating followed by India, at 26 per cent and Armenia at 22 per cent. The data sheet also indicates that 31 per cent of Ugandan women and 19 per cent of Ugandan men said it is acceptable for a man to beat his wife if she refuses to have sex with him.

In India, 14 per cent women and 8 per cent men interviewed said it was okay for a husband to beat his wife over refusal to have sex while in Ghana 12 per cent women and 7 per cent men held such a view. Ugandan men lead the world in accepting wife beating over sex denial at 19 per cent followed by India, at 8 per cent and Ghana at 7 per cent.

The report states: “In many developing countries both women and men believe that wife beating is acceptable, and it is not unusual for women to condone the violence more than men. ” The report adds: “When women are unable to refuse sex with their husbands for fear of violence, they are less able to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV/Aids.”

The report states that only 42 per cent of the births in the country are attended by skilled personnel. The country had 480 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2008 and chances of women dying from maternal causes is 1 in 38.

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