Men’s Violence Against Women

Running head: MEN’S VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 1
MEN’S VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
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MEN’S VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 2
MEN’S VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Introduction
Men`s violence that is directed to women is one of the main public health issues
globally. Violence against women has transformed over the past four centuries from being a
private affair that is rarely spoken off to an extent where issues of violence against women
are discussed openly. According to the United Nations ,violence against women is defined as
any act violence that is based upon the gender of an individual and is likely to result to
physical , sexual or mental harm or suffering of a woman (Women, U. N. 2015).Violence
against women also involves being threatened, coerced or being denied liberty or basic rights
either privately or publicly. WHO indicates that more than 34% of women worldwide have
experienced some form of violence (World Health Organization, 2012). Violence against
women is mostly caused by intimate partners or is usually sexually based. According to a
survey conducted in the year 2013 by WHO through the London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine in collaboration with the Medical Research Council of South Africa found
out that in every three women, one experiences either physical or sexual violence from their
partners(Women, U. N. 2015). This paper therefore seeks to establish why decision making
on health matters should be made based on critical economic thinking and analysis.
Additionally, the paper also discusses ways in which social factors contribute to violence
against women and how this can be solved through social-economic programs.
According to a special report of Human Rights Commission for violence against
women, major strides have been made in the fight to end violence against women (Whitehead
et al, 2016). Despite these efforts, mot much has changed and very few women have
benefited from these campaigns. The strides have mainly been achieved in countries and
areas where women are financially independent. In families and regions where poverty levels

MEN’S VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 3
of high, a lot needs to be done in order to eradicate gender based violence.Poverty/income
inequality is a major economic factor which is attributed to violence against women. Women
represent more than 70% of the people living in poverty worldwide (Dalal, 2011). This means
that most women cannot afford their basic needs. According to the WHO, most women
continue to work in harsh conditions where they face endless discrimination. The existing
socioeconomic and cultural factors have increased vulnerability of women to violence, sexual
exploitation and various injustices. Research indicates that men`s violence against women is
higher among countries where there is widespread poverty compared to high income
countries. According to the research 23.2% of intimate partners in high-income countries
experience violence while women violence in low income countries stands at 37.7% (Levy &
Sidel, 2013). Violence against women in countries developing nations is at 25.7%. from the
above statistics, it is clear that there is a direct relationship between the level of income and
violence on women(Levy & Sidel, 2013, p.g 286). One of the ways in which poverty among
women has contributed to them being abused is that some men put women at their mercy
economically and hence taking advantage of them.More than 35% of women who report
violence depend on men financially. (Rahman, Hoque & Makinoda, 2011) Men take
advantage of this situation and they physically abuse women even when small domestic
issues arise in the family.
According to (Hughes, Bolis, Fries & Finigan,2015) , many women find that their
home is the most dangerous place for them. He explains that this is due to the economic
inequality which exists in the society. In today`s society, there are many cases where
oppression and discrimination against women is prevailing and women are viewed to be of
weaker gender. The society perception on women explains why a man with the same
qualifications with a man is more than two times likely to secure a job at the expense of a
woman (Hughes et al, 2015).Unemployment among women becomes high and this means