Sexual and Psychological Abuse of Men in Heterosexual Relationships in The Bahamas

Abstract

This paper describes the treatment of heterosexual men in The Bahamas by their intimate partners. An internet study surveyed 335 married and 922 unmarried men in The Bahamas who were currently in intimate relationships with women. The study found that behaviours of concern were inflicted by women on their male partners both inside and outside of marriage. Overall, 14% of respondents reported experiencing sex against their will. Married and unmarried men were equally likely to report experiencing unwanted sexual intercourse in their current relationship, and unmarried men were more likely than married men to have been physically hurt by their current partner. Married men who admitted to being victims of unwanted sexual intercourse by their wives were more likely to report having been physically hurt by their wife than those who had not experienced unwanted sex. Psychological abuse was more evident for unmarried than married men. These findings suggest that men may need more help in coping with abuse than is commonly recognized. Investigating why abusive behaviours, including unwanted sex, were more common outside of marriage than inside of marriage may be a useful area of future research in the Bahamian community.