Masculinities & Violence

Results from the International Men and Gender Survey (IMAGES) in Bolivia

The vast majority of Bolivians say they stand against the use of violence in intimate partnerships.

When asked about intimate partner violence, most Bolivian men and women report very low support for violence against women.

And yet, these progressive personal views are often in tension with men’s and women’s accounts of the realities around them and even in their own homes.

When asked about what is commonplace or acceptable to others in their community, 1 in 4 men and women said violence is tolerated, and almost half said that it is in fact commonly practiced in their community.

Violence, in fact, remains a common experience for many Bolivians in childhood and in their early relationships.

41% of men and

34% of women

report having been physically hurt by a caregiver in their youth.

15% OF WOMEN

report having been sexually assaulted in their youth.

20% OF WOMEN

report that their first sexual encounter was forced or coerced.

1 out of every 3

men and women

witnessed violence committed against their mother by their father or another male partner.

ALMOST HALF OF RESPONDENTS

reported witnessing some form of psychological violence against their mother by a male companion.

In Bolivia, like in many other countries where IMAGES surveys were conducted, we see harmful cycles of violence passed down through the generations.

Bolivian men who, in their youth, witnessed violence against their mother at the hands of their father or another male partner are almost

3x more likely

to use harsh physical punishment* against their own children as adults.

*Severe physical punishment is defined as engaging at least one of the following acts: slapping the face or hitting the head; hitting or slapping any part of the body with the hand or fist; hitting the buttocks or another part of the body with a hard object (for example a belt, a broom, etc.); or beating over and over with full force.

Men who witnessed violence against their mother are also

3.5x more likely

to commit physical abuses against their own partners as adults.

Men who, on the other hand, experienced violence themselves as kids were

2.5x more likely

to use physical intimate partner violence** against their partners or wives.

**Physical violence means ever having engaged in at least one of the following: slapping your partner or throwing something at her that could hurt her; pushing, cornering or pulling partner’s hair; hitting partner with a fist or something else that could hurt her; kicking, dragging, beating partner; choking or burning partner on purpose; threatening to or actually using a gun, knife, or other weapon against partner.

Men’s reported use (and women’s reported experience) of intimate partner violence is still high…

*Percent out of those who said they experienced or used violence in their lifetime/ever.

…as is control over women’s behavior in Bolivian partnerships.

In fact, 61% of Bolivian men and women report that men regularly use at least one of the following controlling behaviors in their current or most recent relationships.

The factors most correlated with men’s use of physical violence against women are:

All of the above factors are also correlated strongly with men’s use of violence against children, highlighting the strong intersection of these types of violence and the need to address the underlying factors that feed both types of violence.

*These factors are also related to men’s use of emotional or psychological violence

A certain reluctance to dealing with these realities is apparent among some. For one, survivors of violence (especially sexual violence) are often blamed for the violence they experienced.

26% OF WOMEN

said that “if a woman does not defend herself, it cannot be considered rape.”

Women Men

31% OF WOMEN

said that “when a woman has been raped, it is important to know if she has been with many men or has a bad reputation.”

39% OF MEN

said that “when a woman has been raped, it is important to know if she has been with many men or has a bad reputation.”

Many also dispute the existence of rape in the context of marriage, showing limited belief in women’s bodily autonomy in the context of a partnership.

2 in 5 men and women

said that “rape in the context of marriage does not exist.”

1 in 3 men

said that “if a man wants sex, the partner should accept it.”

And there is palpable resistance to mechanisms that would hold perpetrators of violence accountable and provide protection for survivors.

*This question was only asked if respondents were aware of this law.

So how can we get men to show up to prevent violence?

The impacts of violence are pervasive – not just for women and children, but for men themselves.

Showing men that violence has consequences for their own health and well-being can help them grasp its profound and lifelong negative effects and mitigate their use of violence against women and children.

Bolivian men who, as children, witnessed violence against their mother at the hands of their father or another male partner are

3.3x more likely

to have problems due to alcohol consumption.

Those who experienced violence as children were

2.4x more likely

to have had family, social, or work problems due to their drinking in the last year.

Bolivian men who experienced violence in their childhood and those who witnessed violence against their mothers as children are

2x more likely

to meet screening thresholds for depression.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Links between Violence against Women and Violence against Children

The data supports the idea that there are strong linkages between experiencing and witnessing violence in childhood and men’s use of violence against women and children in adult life. It’s important to see violence in the context of generational cycles and develop programming or policy with both an immediate support lens for survivors and longer-term lens for prevention and mitigation.

The Normalization of Violence

Even though people publicly reject violence in the context of a relationship, violence is highly normalized and frequently experienced by individuals in their personal lives and communities. In fact, the use of violent and controlling acts in intimate partnerships is prevalent, and the factors associated with men’s use of this violence underpin also their use of violence against children in the home.

Opening up Conversations with Men

Lastly, we need to talk more openly with men about how the continued perpetration of violence has harmful consequences for them too, mentally and physically.