By Jose Kavi
New Delhi, Nov 28, 2921: A Catholic woman theologian says a recent national survey has revealed how deeply entrenched are patriarchal attitudes in Indian women.
The National Family Health Survey shows that around 80 percent women in three Indian states justified men beating their wives. More than 30 percent women from 14 of the 18 states and Union Territories surveyed justified men beating their wives under certain circumstances, while lesser percentage of men rationalized such behavior.
The Indian women “accept their secondary status and they even say their first priority is taking care of their husband, children and home,” says Virginia Saldanha, reacting to news reports on the survey.
Saldanha, a leader of the Indian Christian Women Movement, regrets that women accept that it is correct for their husbands to beat them if they disrespect their in-laws and neglect children and housework.
The survey found that 84 percent women in Telangana accepted domestic violence, followed by Andhra Pradesh (84 percent) and Karnataka (77 percent).
Saldanha expressed surprise that 52.4 percent women in Kerala that tops literacy among Indian states, accepted domestic violence. In Manipur, a tribal state in northeastern India that practices matriarchy, 65.9 percent women found nothing wrong in husbands beating them.
“This could be their Christian religious background which teaches that man is the head of the family,” Saldanha told Matters India.
Other states where a large number of women justified domestic violence are Jammu and Kashmir (49 percent), Maharashtra (44 percent) and West Bengal (42 percent).
Only 14.8 percent women in the northern Indian state of Himachal justified husband beating their wives.
The highest number of men justifying wife-beating was in Karnataka, 81.9 percent, and least was in Himachal Pradesh, 14.2 percent.
The survey put forward the probable circumstances under which a husband beats his wife: if he suspects her of being unfaithful; if she disrespects in-laws; if she argues with him; if she refuses to have sex with him; if she goes out without informing him; if she neglects the house or the children; if she doesn’t cook good food.
Saldanha says the younger generation in cities will accept domestic violence. “They would rather not be married. If they are married, they would walk out at the first signs of violence. That is the only way men will learn that they have to behave themselves and change, to make their marriage a partnership of equality rather than dominance,” she added.
Domestic violence on women whatever be the provocation, cannot be justified under any circumstances. The only way to end domestic violence on women is to encourage them to go in for learning self-defence. This will also prompt the men who get beaten by their wives (as Mr Vincent has mentioned in his comment) to learn self-defence! There is always a flip side of the coin!!
This report on justification of domestic violence is indeed shocking. We need to condemn outright gender based violence.
However, I do not subscribe to the claim that Christianity teaches that the male is the head of the family. No doubt Paul says so in his letter to the Ephesians, that is to some extent countered by his next statement that the husband should love his wife like his own body. But we also know that Paul was terribly off the mark about marriage as evidenced in his First letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 7. But there again he admits that it is his PERSONAL opinion and not a direction from the Lord.
There is also no doubt that many fundamentalist Christians tend to quote Sacred Scripture totally out of context. I remind them that in the very beginning God says that the man shall leave his parents to be one with his wife, Let us cut diamond with diamond.
We cannot accept any violence perpetrated on any human person. Our faith affirmation is we are all created in the image and likeness of God. While expressing our solidarity with the women who experience domestic violence, we need to explore the caste, untouchability, tribal aspects in the discourse about Indian women.
Ideology of Pativrata – Considering husband as god or naturally superior is taught by the so called dominant caste culture. Internalised by all women, particularly by caste-women.
How do educated women respond to caste discrimination in the society and in the churches? Do all women participate in the feminist discourse, particularly Dalit women or Tribal or Adivasi women?
We need inclusive feminist discourse in Indian theology or in Indian society.
There are also women who beat their husband. But men do not complain for the fear of being laughed at. The ‘domestic violence act’ should be gender neutral.