Citation

Schuler SR, Lenzi R, Badal SH, Nazneen S. Cult. Health Sex. 2018; 20(1): 113-127.

Affiliation

Department of International Relations , University of Dhaka , Dhaka , Bangladesh.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13691058.2017.1332391

PMID

28594292

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) may increase as women in patriarchal societies become empowered, implicitly or explicitly challenging prevailing gender norms. Prior evidence suggests an inverse U-shaped relationship between women's empowerment and IPV, in which violence against women first increases and then decreases as more egalitarian gender norms gradually gain acceptance. By means of focus-group discussions and in-depth interviews with men in 10 Bangladeshi villages, this study explored men's evolving views of women, gender norms and the legitimacy of men's perpetration of IPV in the context of a gender transition. It examines men's often-contradictory narratives about women's empowerment and concomitant changes in norms of masculinity, and identifies aspects of women's empowerment that are most likely to provoke a male backlash.

FINDINGS suggest that men's growing acceptance of egalitarian gender norms and their self-reported decreased engagement in IPV are driven largely by pragmatic self-interest: their desire to improve their economic status and fear of negative consequences of IPV.

Language: en

Keywords

Bangladesh; Intimate partner violence; empowerment; masculinity