NewsRescue
A gender equality organisation in Germany has termed as “shocking” the findings of a recent poll in which one-third of males in that nation believe it is “acceptable” to physically strike a female partner during a heated disagreement.
According to a nationwide study of 1,000 men and 1,000 women in the EU countries conducted last week by the children’s organization Plan International Germany, 33% of males aged 18 to 35 perceive no problem with using violence during a confrontation with a woman. A further 34% of those polled admitted to being violent against a woman in the past.
Karsten Kassner, a gender-equality campaigner with the organisation Federal Forum Men, called the study results “shocking” and argued that it demonstrates that violence by young men against women is becoming acceptable.
“It’s troubling that one-third of the men polled trivialize violence against women,” Kassner told Germany’s Funke newspaper. “This urgently needs to change.”
According to German federal police statistics from 2021, more than 115,000 women were victims of domestic violence or marital abuse that year, with an average of 13 women abused every hour. 301 women were killed by their present or former boyfriend in the same year.
Separately, the study indicated Germany’s adherence to more traditional gender norms, as well as a dislike of public shows of affection between same-sex couples among nearly half of respondents.
According to the research, 52% of males believe it is their responsibility to be the primary ‘bread-winner’ in a relationship. In comparison, the same percentage thought it was the female’s responsibility to run the household by completing activities such as cooking and cleaning.
In addition, 48% of those polled indicated they were “disturbed” when they saw homosexual couples kissing in public. According to the study results, “traditional gender roles are still deeply ingrained in people’s minds” in the EU country, according to a Plan International Germany spokeswoman.
