Acceptability of domestic violence against women in the European Union: a multilevel analysis

Abstract

Study objective: The acceptability of domestic violence against women (DVAW) plays an important part in shaping the social environment in which the victims are embedded, which in turn may contribute either to perpetuate or to reduce the levels of DVAW in our societies. This study analyses correlates of the acceptability of DVAW in the European Union (EU). Design: Three level ordinal logistic regression of 13 457 people nested within 212 localities (cities), nested within 15 countries of the EU. Sampling is multistage with random probability. All interviews were face to face in people's homes. The outcome variable was acceptability of DVAW. Multiple correlates at the individual, locality, and country level were analysed. Setting: European Union, 1999. Participants: National data were used of residents 15 years old and above of all member states in 1999 (n = 13 457). Average response rate was 47%, although it varied across countries (23%-73%).Main results: Higher levels of acceptability were reported by those who perceived DVAW as less severe and less frequent. Acceptability is higher among men who know a perpetrator and lower among men who know a victim. Victim blaming attitude is associated with higher levels of acceptability. In countries with higher gender empowerment measure the difference in acceptability among those who blame and those who do not blame the victim is greater. Conclusions: There are still widespread attitudes in the EU such as victim blaming that condone DVAW, contributing to a climate of social acceptability of DVAW. Further efforts to reduce the acceptability of DVAW are still needed.T he extent of domestic violence against women (DVAW) worldwide, which in western countries affects about 25% of women at some point in their lives, 1-5 its impact on their physical and mental health, both in the short and long term, and the wider outcomes of DVAW for families, communities, and society, makes it a public health priority. [6][7][8][9][10] A public health approach to DVAW, as the one proposed by the World Health Organisation, 10 considered that among the larger societal factors that influence rates of violence are those that create an acceptable climate for violence, and those that reduce inhibitions against violence. Although the influence of contextual factors in DVAW has been theoretically acknowledged, research examining these effects has been scarce. A small number of multilevel studies showed that social and community level factors such as neighbourhood poverty and disadvantage, are related to higher rates of DVAW.11-16 However, to our knowledge, no multilevel study has analysed the individual and social factors associated with public attitudes toward DVAW. Clearly, a better understanding of the factors influencing public attitudes toward DVAW would add relevant knowledge to the literature on the social conditions that foster or discourage DVAW, and would be useful to orientate public education and prevention efforts.Domestic violence is always rooted in a social and cultural context, and p...

Measuring Acceptability of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: Development and Validation of the A-IPVAW Scale

“…This finding is congruent with previous research, since individuals who consider IPVAW as such only in cases of extreme or severe violence (e.g., physical violence) are more likely to perceive other kinds of violence (e.g., emotional or verbal violence) as more "tolerable" (Gracia & Herrero, 2006a;Muehlenhard & Kimes, 1999;Taylor & Sorenson, 2005). Our results also revealed that respondents with higher levels of acceptability presented higher scores of ambivalent sexism, in particular in the hostile sexism subscale.…”

“…Perceived severity of IPVAW has been negatively related to acceptability of IPVAW (Gracia & Herrero, 2006a;Taylor & Sorenson, 2005). Sexist attitudes have been found to be closely related to attitudes toward IPVAW (Flood & Pease, 2009;Herrero, Rodríguez, & Torres, 2017;Lila, Gracia, & García, 2013).…”

Evaluating Attribution of Responsibility and Minimization by Male Batterers: Implications for Batterer Programs

“…In western countries IPVAW affects many women at some point in their lives [2][3][4][5][6]. Furthermore, the impact of IPVAW on women's physical and mental health, both in the short and long term, and the wider effects of IPVAW on families, communities, and society, makes it a public health priority [7][8][9]. Prevalence data in Spain, where this study was conducted, are similar to other Western countries, with estimates ranging from 4.0% to 12.4% [10][11][12].…”

Public Responses to Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: The Influence of Perceived Severity and Personal Responsibility

“…In many instances, however, the social environment surrounding the victim of IPVAW is willing to act, responding in different ways when an incident of IPVAW is known. These responses to IPVAW can be classified broadly into two types (Gracia & Herrero, 2006a;Mahlstedt & Keeny, 1993;West & Wandrei, 2002): mediating responses (e.g., offering help, support and understanding, advising, helping with decision making, talking to the couple, or reproaching the offender), and reporting responses (i.e., responses that set the law enforcement in motion by reporting the incident to the authorities). Research focusing on public responses to incidents of IPVAW, however, has been sparse compared to the scholarly attention paid to other issues such as prevalence, consequences or intervention.…”

“…For example, in the USA, the Lieberman Survey found that almost 30% of the respondents reported that they knew a woman who was currently a victim of physical abuse (Klein, Campbell, Soler, & Ghez, 1997). Also, in a survey with a representative sample of 15 countries of the European Union (European Commission, 1999;Gracia & Herrero, 2006a), 36% of male and 45% of female respondents knew a victim of IPVAW in their social circle of work, studies, family, neighborhood or friends.…”