Originally Posted by
neels
Yesterday read this news article in TOI and it made me think a lot and feel sorry for the state of women in our own state. Too many questions, much frustration, helplessness, and the anger over the unawareness of women and uncivilized ways of handling by men. I know it may again raise a gender debate on jatland,,, but reports like these leave you in a state of shock n aggression.
46% Haryana women ‘okay’ with wife beating!
Priya Yadav | TNN
Chandigarh: Feminists may find it outrageous, but almost half of Haryana’s women — about 46% — say it’s justifiable for a man to beat his wife under some circumstances. Having received a lot of flak for having the country’s worst sex ratio, these findings again scream of the shabby treatment meted out to the fairer sex in Jatland.
So medieval is their mindset and grooming even in the 21st century, that 36% Haryanavi women say wife beating is okay if a woman is disrespectful towards her in-laws. This disturbing trend has been highlighted in the National Family Health Survey-III released by Haryana health minister Kartar Devi on Tuesday.
‘‘Women in Haryana do not enjoy the same status as that of men and this is not only reflected in the skewed sex ratio but also in various social aspects,’’ says Shri Kant Singh, an associate professor with Mumbai-based International Institution of Population Sciences.
Bearing further testimony to the antiquated ideas these women hold, an overwhelming 31% feel it’s all right if their husbands beat them up for going out without informing them. What is alarming is that even among couples who have completed at least 10 years of schooling, 28-29% say a husband is justified in assaulting his wife for one or more of the specified reasons. Sociologists believe there is a dire need for stepping up education programmes, mainly for women, so that they get a better sense of security and equality. ‘‘Respect for women is inculcated right from the beginning and begins at home. It is important to teach this within the family,’’ says Shri Kant Singh.
Worryingly, 25% of the married women reported of having been slapped by their husbands, between 7 and 14% claimed of having their arms being twisted or hair pulled, pushed and jostled around, or things thrown at them, being punched or kicked, dragged or beaten up. What is worse is that seven out of 10 women who were physically or sexually abused by their spouses neither sought help nor told anyone about the violence.
The pathetic trust in state resources is also apparent from the fact that women in Haryana do not seek help from any institutional sources like the police or social service organizations, the report states.