Women are likely becoming more empowered as their fertility rates fall and their bank accounts grow, but the latest National Family Health Survey shows that there is still a long way to go when it comes to attitudes toward domestic violence. 

Responses from as many as 18 states and Jammu and Kashmir to the question “In your opinion, is a husband justified in hitting or beating his wife…?” are telling.

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Telangana led the way with 83.8% of women saying it is acceptable for men to beat their wives, while Himachal Pradesh had the lowest percentage at 14.8%. Karnataka leads among men, with 81.9% saying such behaviour is justified, compared to 14.2% in Himachal Pradesh.

If she goes out without telling him; if she neglects the house or the children; if she argues with him; if she refuses to have sex with him; if she doesn’t cook food properly; if he suspects her of being unfaithful; if she shows disrespect for in-laws were among of the “(seven) situations” listed in the survey as reasons to hit or beat the wife. 

The most common reasons mentioned to justify domestic abuse, according to the survey, are showing disrespect to in-laws, neglecting the house, and neglecting children.

On Wednesday, data from surveys conducted in 2019-21 was released. Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura, and West Bengal were among the states that participated.

Andhra Pradesh (83.6%), Karnataka (76.7%), Manipur (65.7%), and Kerala (65.9%) are the other states with a high percentage of women who justify domestic violence (52.4%)  Men in Himachal Pradesh and Tripura were the least accepting of domestic abuse, with only 14.2% and 21.3% agreeing, respectively. 

In January 2018, data from the NFHS-4 (2015-2016) for the entire country revealed that while 52% of women surveyed thought it was reasonable for a husband to beat his wife, only 42% of men agreed.

In the most recent survey, women in 13 of the 18 states — Manipur, Gujarat, Nagaland, Goa, Bihar, Assam, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and West Bengal — chose ‘disrespect to in-laws’ as the primary reason for justifying beatings. 

The second option for accepting spouse violence is to “neglect the house and children”.  The least number of justifications for beating is ‘being suspected of being unfaithful’. Only women (21%) in Mizoram choose it over the other two options as the primary cause of physical abuse.

Sharada A L, director of Population First, an NGO working for women rights, told Indian Express, “This kind of patriarchal mentality is deeply imbibed in the minds of the women who think that serving their family and husband should be their first priority.”