Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Autonomy, Dependence or Culture: Examining the Impact of Resources and Socio-cultural Processes on Attitudes Towards Intimate Partner Violence in Ghana, Africa

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Family Violence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Despite the high levels of domestic violence (intimate partner violence) against African women, tests of competing theories on why the practice is common in the region are quite limited. This study evaluates the effects of resources and cultural factors on attitudes Africans hold about the acceptability of gendered violence, and specifically wife beating (battering). Answers to these questions are relevant to the discourse on intimate partner violence, at least, as pertains to male-dominated societies such as those found in Africa. Drawing on national data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, we explore these linkages in an African context. Our findings suggest that egalitarian decision-making and equal household contributions are associated with a reduced acceptance of abusive actions toward women. We suggest that new questions must be asked concerning the present and future role of men and women within households and the community.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abrahams, N., Jewkes, R., Hoffman, M., & Laubsher, R. (2004). Sexual violence against intimate partners in Cape Town: Prevalence and risk factors reported by men. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 82, 330–337.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Adomako Ampofo, A., Beoku-Betts, J., & Osirim, M. (2004). Women’s and gender studies in English-speaking sub-Saharan Africa. Gender & Society, 18, 685–714. doi:10.1177/0891243204269188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, K. L. (1997). Gender, status, and domestic violence: An integration of feminist and family violence approaches. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50, 655–669. doi:10.2307/353952.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Assimeng, M. (1981). Social structure of Ghana: A study in persistence and change. Accra: Ghana.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bledsoe, C. (1990). Transformations in sub-Saharan African marriage and fertility. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 510, 115–125. doi:10.1177/0002716290510001009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowman, C. G. (2003). Theories of domestic violence in the African context. The American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law, 101, 847–863.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brinkerhoff, M. B., Grandin, E., & Lupri, E. (1992). Religions involvement and spousal abuse: the Canadian case. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 31, 15–31. doi:10.2307/1386829.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Busby, C. (1999). Agency, power and personhood discourses of gender and violence in a fishing community in south India. Critique of Anthropology, 19(3), 227–248. doi:10.1177/0308275X9901900302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell, J. C. (1982). A theory of fertility decline. London: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, J. C. (2002). Health consequences of intimate partner violence. Lancet, 359, 1331–1336. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(02)08336-8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coker, A. L., & Richter, D. L. (1998). Violnece against women in Sierra-Leone: Frequency and correlates of intimate partner violence and forced sexual intercourse. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 2, 61–72.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Coker, A. L., Davis, K. E., Arias, I., Desai, S., Sanderson, M., Brandt, H. M., et al. (2002). Physical and mental health effects of intimate partner violence for men and women. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 23(4), 260–268. doi:10.1016/S0749-3797(02)00514-7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coker-Appiah, D., & Cusack, K. (1999). Violence against women and children in Ghana: Breaking the silence, challenging the myths and building support. Accra Gender Studies and Human Rights Centre.

  • Dobash, R. E., & Dobash, R. P. (1992). Women, violence and social change. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellison, C. G., & Anderson, K. L. (2001). Religious involvement and domestic violence among US couples. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 40, 269. doi:10.1111/0021-8294.00055.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellison, C. G., Bartkowski, J. P., & Anderson, K. L. (1999). Are there religious variations in domestic violence? Journal of Family Issues, 20(1), 87–113. doi:10.1177/019251399020001005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellsberg, M., Pena, R., Herrera, A., Liljestrand, J., & Winkvist, A. (2000). Candies in hell: women’s experiences of violence in Nicaragua. Social Science & Medicine, 51, 1595–1610. doi:10.1016/S0277-9536(00)00056-3.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ezeh, C.A., & Gage, A. (2000). Domestic violence in Uganda: Evidence from qualitative and quantitative data. Nairobi, Kenya. APHRC Working Papers Series, No. 18

  • Fikree, F. F., & Bhatti, L. I. (1999). Domestic violence and health of Pakistani women. International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics: the Official Organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 65, 195–201. doi:10.1016/S0020-7292(99)00035-1.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gelles, R. J. (1974). The violent home: A study of physical aggression between husbands and wives. Beverly Hills: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heise, L. L., Raikes, A., Watts, C., & Zwi, A. B. (1994a). Violence against women: A neglected public health issue in less developing countries. Social Science & Medicine, 39, 1165–1179. doi:10.1016/0277-9536(94)90349-2.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heise, L. L., Pitanguy, J., & Germain, A. (1994b). Violence against women: The hidden health burden. World Bank Discussion Papers No. 255.

  • Heise, L. L., Ellsberg, M., & Gottemoeller, M. (1999). Ending violence against women. Population Reports Series L[11]. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Population Information Program.

  • Hindin, M. J. (2003). Understanding women’s attitudes toward wife beating in Zimbabwe. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 81, 501–508.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hindin, M. J., & Adair, L. S. (2002). Who’s at risk? Factors associated with intimate partner violence in the Philippines. Social Science & Medicine, 55, 1385–1399. doi:10.1016/S0277-9536(01)00273-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jejeebhoy, S. J. (1998). Associations between wife-beating and fetal and infant death: Impressions from a survey in rural India. Studies in Family Planning, 20(3), 300–308. doi:10.2307/172276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jewkes, R. (2002). Intimate partner violence: Causes and prevention. Lancet, 359, 1423–1429. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(02)08357-5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jewkes, R., & Abrahams, N. (2002). The epidemiology of rape and sexual coercion in South Africa: An overview. Social Science & Medicine, 55, 153–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jewkes, R., Levin, J., & Penn-Kekana, L. (2002). Risk factors for domestic violence: Findings from a South African cross-sectional study. Social Science & Medicine, 55, 1603–1617. doi:10.1016/S0277-9536(01)00294-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. P., & Ferraro, K. J. (2000). Research on domestic violence in the 1990s: Making distinctions. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 948–963. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.00948.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalmuss, D. S., & Straus, M. A. (1982). Wife marital dependency and wife abuse. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 44, 227–286. doi:10.2307/351538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, J., & Motsei, M. (2002). “Women enjoy punishment”: Attitudes and experiences of gender-based violence among PHC nurses in rural South Africa. Social Science & Medicine, 54, 1243–1254. doi:10.1016/S0277-9536(01)00093-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kishor, S., & Johnson, K. (2004). Profiling domestic violence—A multi-country study. Calverton, Maryland: ORC Macro.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, M. A., Ahmed, S., Hossain, M. B., & Khorshed Alam Mozumder, A. B. M. (2003). Women’s status and domestic violence in rural Bangladesh: Individual-and community-level effects. Demography, 40(2), 269–288. doi:10.1353/dem.2003.0014.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, M. A., Lutalo, T., Zhao, F., Nalugoda, F., Wabwire-Mangen, F., Kiwanuka, N., et al. (2003). Domestic violence in rural Uganda: Evidence from a community-based study. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 81, 53–60.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, M. A., Zablotska, I., Lutalo, T., Nalugoda, F., Wagman, J., & Gray, R. (2004). Coerced first intercourse and reproductive health among adolescents in Rakai, Uganda. International Family Planning Perspectives, 30(4), 156–163.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lesthaeghe, R. J. (Ed.) (1989). Reproduction and social organization in sub-Saharan Africa. Berkeley: University of California Press.

  • Maman, S., Campbell, J., Sweat, M. D., & Gielen, A. C. (2000). The intersections of HIV and violence: Directions for future research and interventions. Social Science & Medicine, 50, 459–478. doi:10.1016/S0277-9536(99)00270-1.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mason, K. O. (1987). The impact of women’s social position on fertility in developing countries. Sociological Forum, 2, 718–745. doi:10.1007/BF01124382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McWhirter, P. T. (1999). La violencia privada: Domestic violence in Chile. The American Psychologist, 54, 37–40. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.54.1.37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrow, L. F. (1986). Women in sub-Saharan Africa. In M. I. Duley & M. I. Edwards (Eds.), The cross-cultural study of women. New York: Feminist.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nasir, K., & Hyder, A. A. (2003). Violence against pregnant women in developing countries. European Journal of Public Health, 13(2), 105–107. doi:10.1093/eurpub/13.2.105.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nason-Clark, N. (2004). When terror strikes at home: The interface between religion and domestic violence. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 43, 303–309. doi:10.1111/j.1468-5906.2004.00236.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ofei-Aboagye, R. (1994). Domestic violence in Ghana: An initial step. Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, 4(1), 1–25.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Olson, L., Fine, M., & Llyod, S. (2005). Theorizing about aggression. In V. Bengston, et al. (Eds.), Sourcebook of family theory and resaerch, pp. 315–334. Thousand Oak, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oropesa, S. R. (1997). Development and marital power in Mexico. Social Forces, 75, 1291–1318. doi:10.2307/2580672.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Presser, H. B. (1997). Demography, feminism and science-policy nexus. Population and Development Review, 23, 295–332. doi:10.2307/2137547.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rude, D. (1999). Reasonable and provocative: An Analysis of Gendered domestic homicide in Zambia. Journal of Southern African Studies, 25, 7–27. doi:10.1080/030570799108731.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shettima, A. G. (1998). Gendered work patterns in the endangered Sahelian rural environment: Exploring three layers of exploitation. Africa Development. Afrique et Developpement, 23, 163–183.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stark, E., & Flitcraft, A. (1996). Women at risk: Domestic violence and women’s health. Thousand Oak, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M., Gelles, R. J., & Steinmetz, S. K. (1981). Behind closed doors: Violence in the American family. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Takyi, B. K. (2001). Marital stability in an African society: Exploring the factors that influence divorce processes in Ghana. Sociological Focus, 34, 77–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Takyi, B. K., & Dodoo, F. N. A. (2005). Gender, lineage, and fertility-related outcomes in Ghana. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 67, 251–257. doi:10.1111/j.0022-2445.2005.00019.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Takyi, B. K., & Mann, J. R. (2006). Intimate partner violence in Ghana: The perspectives of men regarding wife beating. International Journal of Sociology of the Family, 32, 61–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ucko, L. G. (1994). Culture and violence: The interaction of Africa and America. Sex Roles, 31(3–4), 185–204. doi:10.1007/BF01547714.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walby, S. (1990). Theorizing patriarchy. Oxford: Davidson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watts, C., & Mayhew, S. (2004). Reproductive health services and intimate partner violence: Shaping a pragmatic response in sub-Saharan Africa. International Family Planning Perspectives, 30(4), 207–213.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yount, K. N., & Carrera, J. S. (2006). Domestic violence against married women in Cambodia. Social Forces, 85(1), 355–387. doi:10.1353/sof.2006.0151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Jesse R. Mann

  2. Department of Sociology, University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325-1905, USA

    Baffour K. Takyi

Authors
  1. Jesse R. Mann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Baffour K. Takyi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Baffour K. Takyi.

Additional information

We share equally in the conceptualization, data analysis, and writing of the paper. We thank Drs. Nancy B. Miller and Cheryl Elman for their helpful comments on this article.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mann, J.R., Takyi, B.K. Autonomy, Dependence or Culture: Examining the Impact of Resources and Socio-cultural Processes on Attitudes Towards Intimate Partner Violence in Ghana, Africa. J Fam Viol 24, 323–335 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-009-9232-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-009-9232-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation