Effect of justification of wife-beating on experiences of intimate partner violence among men and women in Uganda: A propensity-score matched analysis of the 2016 Demographic Health Survey data
Outcomes: Gender‑Based Violence
View SourceKey Social Norms Take-aways The study confirms that acceptance of gender norms justifying wife-beating significantly increases the likelihood of experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV), especially among women. Social norms that condone male authority and violence as disciplinary tools normalize abusive behaviors and are strongly associated with higher rates of sexual, emotional, and physical IPV. These findings highlight the urgent need for interventions aimed at shifting harmful gender norms at the societal level.
Objectives To investigate the causal effects of accepting gender norms that justify wife-beating on lifetime experiences of sexual, emotional, and physical IPV among Ugandan men and women.
Methods Using data from the 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey, the authors conducted a quasi-experimental analysis employing propensity score matching (PSM). Participants who accepted justifications for wife-beating were matched 1:1 with those who did not, based on a range of demographic and socio-economic covariates. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the effects of norm acceptance on IPV experiences.
Intervention Details Not applicable; this is an observational study using existing survey data.
Results Among 10,394 respondents, 46.5% believed wife-beating is justified, with a significantly higher proportion of women (78.3%) than men. The analysis showed that both men and women who accepted such norms were significantly more likely to report all forms of IPV. Specifically, women who justified wife-beating were 1.67 times more likely to experience sexual violence, 1.42 times more likely to face emotional abuse, and 1.65 times more likely to experience physical violence. Men were also at increased risk of emotional and physical IPV, though not significantly more likely to report sexual IPV.
Conclusions Accepting gender norms that justify wife-beating is a strong predictor of experiencing IPV. These findings underscore the need for comprehensive efforts to transform harmful social norms through community education, legal reform, and targeted interventions such as the SASA! program. Future policy and programming should address these norms directly and holistically to reduce IPV prevalence.
Norms Addressed
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