The study was conducted based on information derived mostly from male respondents and in few cases from females. Altogether five instruments – household survey, attitudinal scale, in-depth interview, case study, and focus group discussion – were used in this study; each being
considered more effective in generating different types of data and analysis done in this study.
The household survey focused on sociodemographic condition of the households, perception, and awareness of the male members therein on violence against women and related issues, and intention of males to resolve violence against female. Information was collected through semistructured survey questionnaires. The questionnaires were field-tested for their perfection.
The study fathomed the attitude of males using two attitudinal scales8. The scales measured males’ attitude towards women and their attitude towards violence against women with the help of selected statements. The statements reflected situations with which respondents were asked to agree or disagree9. The statements were selected after field test. The face validity of the scales
8 Attitude scales consist of sets of standardized statements with which people are asked to agree or disagree. Scaling assumes that an attitude will have various aspects that in their totality constitute the attitude being measured. It also assumes that people can be ranked along a continuum representing varying degree of ‘strength’ or ‘intensity’ with which an attitude is held. The sets of standardized statements are selected from some larger pool of items that cover the relevant aspects of the attitude, selection being based initially on exploratory research in which people respond to all statements, or on the judgement of a panel of evaluations. The intensity or strength with which people hold the various aspects of the attitude is measured by rating scale items by asking respondents how much they agree with a statement (often on a five-point scale ranging from ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’) or by asking them to choose between a number of different statements or each item. Attitude scale produces a single score for each individual that is constructed out of this multiplicity of items, so that each respondent can be placed somewhere long the attitude continuum. The most commonly encountered attitude scales are Guttman, Likert and Thurstone scale.
9 It may be indicated that attitude on violence can also be studied ethnographically. Use of such a time consuming techniques was beyond the scope of this study. On the other hand assessment of attitude in terms statement has been proven quite effective. When an individual is asked to pass their opinion on a situation not personal to them it was observed that they did not distort or underreport in presentation of their opinion.
Method ii were checked by the Panel (Table 2.1). The reliability of the scales could not be measured for time constraint.
• First scale reflecting the attitude of male towards female has three parts representing selected themes – attitude in general, attitude towards women’s rights, and attitude towards discrimination against women. The groups/themes together included 12 statements.
• Second scale reflecting the attitude of male towards violence against women was divided into four parts representing types of violence – psychological, physical, deprivation, and action related violence. The groups/themes together included 16 statements.
Respondents’ attitude on each of these statements were captured in a four-point Likert scale – completely agreed, partially agreed, partially disagreed, and completely disagreed. Each of the items was given a numerical weight – four for ‘completely agree’ to one for ‘completely disagree’. Higher score from a statement, related to attitude towards women, meant more favorable attitude towards women similarly higher score in the case of statement, related to violence against women, meant an attitude more against such violence. Total score for each respondent was computed by summing the responses against each statement. Cumulated score from the groups represented men’s attitude towards women and their attitude towards violence against women. In the case of attitude towards women and violence against women possible scores for a respondent ranged from 12 to 48 and 16 to 64 respectively.
Table 4.1: Statements for Attitude Measurement
Attitude towards Women
All women belong to mothers’ race so they should not be tortured by any man.
Purdah of women is affected if they work and loiter outside the house.
Attitude in general
In case a close relative of a woman is seriously ill, she may visit the patient without permission of her husband if he is not present at home.
When a woman keeps on giving birth to female children one after another, it leads one to believe that she must have some problem.
Women should lead their life according to the advice of male person, it is therefore all the same whether they are aware or not aware of their rights.
Married women have got the right to receive their bride money.
Only the son should have the right to inherit father’s property.
Women’s rights
Politics involves lot of hassle and bustle; even then the women should not refrain from it.
Continued
Method iii
Table 4.1
Czory and Babul are brother and sister to each other. Czory works at home with her mother and Babul works with his father in the field. Babul and his father always should be given more food to eat.
When both husband and wife are very sick treatment for both of them should be started at the same time.
Only the husband’s opinion should be honored in selling or dispersing family properties.
Discrimination
As at present women are taking part in work outside home, men also should take part in household work like washing clothes, cleaning dishes, etc.
Attitude towards Violence against Women Women should have freedom of movement in the society
It is natural that the male will remain hotheaded due to wants in the family. In spite of this they are not supposed to scold or beat women in the family.
Psychological
Father always wishes well of his daughter, he therefore may marry his daughter to a guy against her will.
During marriage a part of the dowry promised was paid. Later on husband or other male members of the family can put pressure on the wife to pay rest of the dowry.
Jolly gave word to marry a guy but she later on changed her mind. At this the guy may become angry and can throw acid on her.
There ware varieties of futwahs for women. It is not justified to lash a woman by giving a futwah.
If a woman attracts a man by her gesture even then it will not be proper for him to violate her psychologically or physically.
Physical
According to religion male has right to bit women.
As male is the head of the family it should run according to his decision.
Shafique and Rahella are brother and sister and they both go to school. They are very poor so their father decided that only Shafique should go for higher education.
Both Rahim and Karimon work together in earth cutting. At the day end Karimon is paid less.
Deprivation
A woman has left her husband. Even then her husband will have to support her.
Due importance of the opinion of both husband and wife should be given in deciding on family planning.
Women should not be allowed to work outside even though there are wants in the family.
Women are less intelligent so they cannot spend money properly. Thus they should hand over their income to male member of the family.
Action
According to religion wife should always consent to husband, so much so that husband even can have sex with wife against her will.
In-depth interview focused on the diagnosis of male’s attitude towards women in general and violence against them. The same set of statements, used in attitudinal scale, was also used in in- depth interview. The objective over here was to find out how respondents rationalized
Method iv themselves in supporting or not supporting the statements with a special emphasis on decoding their cognition and affect behind holding attitudes in relation to the statements. The exercise was conducted with the help of unstructured questionnaire where interviewer tabbed above mentioned information through long conversion with the respondents on each of the statements.
Eight case studies were conducted keeping in mind that those might cover all four types of violence on women – psychological, physical, and those related to action and deprivation.
Incidences of violence relating to dowry, deception, acid-throwing and rape were observed in detail in case studies. The perpetrators and victims of violence and others related to or knowledgeable about the incidence were also included in the case studies. Special attention was given to fathom attitude of perpetrators in
the process of committing violence. The findings from case studies supplemented the analysis based on in-depth interviews.
The focus group discussions were initiated with an objective that the findings from these would give an insight on how rural society visualizes the problem of violence against women and thinks about how the problem could be solved or minimized. The information was mainly used in writing the recommendations.