Perceptions of violence against women in Europe: Assessing individual- and country-level factors

Abstract

This study analyses individual- and country-level factors influencing women’s perceptions of the prevalence of violence against women in their countries. Multilevel modelling was used to study 39,377 women residing in 28 member states of the European Union (EU). Individual-level predictor variables included direct victimisation, vicarious victimisation, avoidant and defensive behaviours, awareness, and sociodemographic characteristics. At the country level, we accounted for an index of gender equality and the prevalence of intimate partner violence against women. The results showed that approximately 80 percent of women indicated that violence against women was common in their country. Most of the individual-level covariates were statistically significant, whereas the country-level indicators were not significantly associated with perceptions of violence against women.

Judging the Severity of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: The Role of Situational Factors and Respondents’ Characteristics in Public Opinion

“…Our results reveal that knowing IPVAW victims is linked to an increased perception of severity. This is consistent with previous research, indicating that individuals acquainted with victims are less tolerant of IPVAW (Gracia et al, 2020; Vives-Cases et al, 2018) and perceive it as a more prevalent issue (Vázquez et al, 2019). Baldry and Pagliaro (2014) have suggested that relationships with victims of IPVAW could heighten awareness of the severe repercussions of such violence.…”

“…Hammock et al (2015) argue that individuals may be more likely to recognize the actual or potential harm of demeaning or controlling behaviors after experiencing them. This hypothesis is consistent with the results of Vázquez et al (2019), which indicated that women in the European Union who had experienced IPVAW and/or knew other victims were more likely to perceive IPVAW as a frequent phenomenon in their countries. Similarly, Vives-Cases et al (2018) found that respondents who did not know any victims of IPVAW showed a higher acceptance of such violence; and Gracia & Herrero, 2006 reported that men who knew victims exhibited lower levels of IPVAW acceptability.…”

Comparing Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence Against Women

“…Related to the prevalence of supportive attitudes toward IPVAW, several demographic surveys have included brief scales or individual items measuring IPVAW acceptability ( European Commission, 2010 ; Yount et al, 2011 ; World Health Organization [WHO], 2013 ; European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights [EUAFR], 2014 ; Gracia and Lila, 2015 ; Herrero et al, 2017 ; Schwab-Reese and Renner, 2017 ; Sardinha and Najera, 2018 ; Tausch, 2019 ; Vázquez et al, 2019 ). For instance, the 2010 Eurobarometer ( European Commission, 2010 ) showed that in the European Union, an average of 84% of those surveyed considered that IPVAW was unacceptable and should always be punishable by law (with variations across countries from 93% to 66%) ( Gracia and Lila, 2015 ); 12% of respondents believed that IPVAW was unacceptable but not always punishable by law, also with substantial variation across countries (i.e., from a low of 5% in Greece to a high of 32% in Finland); and only a very small fringe of those interviewed thought that IPVAW was acceptable in certain circumstances (2%) or in all circumstances (1%).…”

The relationship between municipal trainees' attitudes toward violence against women and their gender perceptions

“…Many factors affect perceptions and attitudes toward violence against women (Vázquez et al, 2019). Some of these factors include gender, educational status, culture, exposure to or witnessing domestic violence in childhood, employment status, and family structure.…”

“…Significant studies have been performed on various platforms to reduce and prevent violence against women worldwide. Globally, violence against women is recognized as a problem; however, multiple programs targeting all segments of the society are needed to reduce and prevent violence against women (Vázquez et al, 2019). In Turkey, the current literature investigating the reasons for violence against women and evaluating the views of both women and men is limited.…”