Third of Turkish women report abuse
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Milliyet
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 11, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - A total of 34 percent of married women participating in a survey said they were victims of domestic violence while 88.6 percent of married male respondents said they had never engaged in physical violence with their spouse.
The study conducted by respected pollster Adil Gür’s A&G polling company showed the contradiction in the responses between men and women when it comes to domestic violence.
A&G spoke to 2,466 people face-to-face on Dec. 20-23 last year in 35 provinces around the country.
When asked about whether there was any domestic violence in their marriage, 88.6 percent of men and 63.6 percent of women said never. Among women, 25.1 percent said sometimes and 9.3 percent said always. When it came to men, 10.8 percent said sometimes and 0.7 percent said always.
According to the survey, there is a general trend when it comes to age and education, with the highest percentage of those facing or engaging in domestic violence being among those over the age of 44. 33 percent of elementary school graduates said there was domestic violence at home, with the figure dropping to 21 percent for high school graduates and 14.5 percent for university graduates.
Regionally, 40.1 percent in the Southeast said there was violence at home while 9.9 percent of those in the western Aegean region said the same.
When asked what they saw as a reason for divorce, 78.6 percent said cheating, 49.6 percent said domestic violence, 36 percent said failure to adhere to spousal responsibilities, 16.1 percent said pressure from in-laws, 11.2 percent said economic difficulties and 6.1 percent said health problems and the necessity of constant care.
When it came to cheating, 61.7 percent said their response would be a divorce, while 14.5 percent said they would kill their spouse. About 13 percent said they would give their spouse another chance, while 8.6 percent said they would be very upset but would put up with it. Among those married, those who would give their spouse another chance was higher than average while among singles, divorce and murder were above the norm.
Financial independence
Professor Nilüfer Narlı, the head of the Istanbul Bahçeşehir University Faculty of Sociology, said that when hypothetically asked whether violence could be a reason for divorce, most say yes but once married and facing the reality, violence drops as a cause for separation because of women’s lack of financial independence.
When it came to special anniversaries, Turkish women tend to be a little less punctual than men, with 32.1 percent of men saying they always remembered the special anniversaries while the figure was 27.9 percent for women.
On average, 29.8 percent said they always remembered special anniversaries, while 35.4 percent said they never did while 34.8 percent said they sometimes marked them. As the ages dropped and education level increased, the portion of those marking such days increased. When asked about their opinions on polygamy, 85.7 percent of the respondents said they were against it, while 7.3 percent said they were partially in support of it and 7 percent said they were fully for it.
Polygamy found more supporters in rural Anatolia and especially in the Southeast, where 70 percent said they were in support of it.
A&G spoke to 2,466 people face-to-face on Dec. 20-23 last year in 35 provinces around the country.
When asked about whether there was any domestic violence in their marriage, 88.6 percent of men and 63.6 percent of women said never. Among women, 25.1 percent said sometimes and 9.3 percent said always. When it came to men, 10.8 percent said sometimes and 0.7 percent said always.
According to the survey, there is a general trend when it comes to age and education, with the highest percentage of those facing or engaging in domestic violence being among those over the age of 44. 33 percent of elementary school graduates said there was domestic violence at home, with the figure dropping to 21 percent for high school graduates and 14.5 percent for university graduates.
Regionally, 40.1 percent in the Southeast said there was violence at home while 9.9 percent of those in the western Aegean region said the same.
When asked what they saw as a reason for divorce, 78.6 percent said cheating, 49.6 percent said domestic violence, 36 percent said failure to adhere to spousal responsibilities, 16.1 percent said pressure from in-laws, 11.2 percent said economic difficulties and 6.1 percent said health problems and the necessity of constant care.
When it came to cheating, 61.7 percent said their response would be a divorce, while 14.5 percent said they would kill their spouse. About 13 percent said they would give their spouse another chance, while 8.6 percent said they would be very upset but would put up with it. Among those married, those who would give their spouse another chance was higher than average while among singles, divorce and murder were above the norm.
Financial independence
Professor Nilüfer Narlı, the head of the Istanbul Bahçeşehir University Faculty of Sociology, said that when hypothetically asked whether violence could be a reason for divorce, most say yes but once married and facing the reality, violence drops as a cause for separation because of women’s lack of financial independence.
When it came to special anniversaries, Turkish women tend to be a little less punctual than men, with 32.1 percent of men saying they always remembered the special anniversaries while the figure was 27.9 percent for women.
On average, 29.8 percent said they always remembered special anniversaries, while 35.4 percent said they never did while 34.8 percent said they sometimes marked them. As the ages dropped and education level increased, the portion of those marking such days increased. When asked about their opinions on polygamy, 85.7 percent of the respondents said they were against it, while 7.3 percent said they were partially in support of it and 7 percent said they were fully for it.
Polygamy found more supporters in rural Anatolia and especially in the Southeast, where 70 percent said they were in support of it.