Demographic

Figure 16.1 Number of Decisions in Which MarriedWomen Participate3630242010111316040 Percent 0 1 2 3 4Number of decisionsSDHS 2006-0716.3 ATTITUDES TOWARDS WIFE BEATINGTo assess women’s degree of acceptance of wife beating, the 2006-07 SDHS asked women,“Sometimes a husband is annoyed or angered by things which his wife does. In your opinion, is ahusband justified in hitting or beating his wife in the following situations?” The six situations presentedto women for their opinion are: if she burns the food, if she argues with him, if she goes out withouttelling him, if she neglects the children, if she refuses to have sex with him, and if she has sex with othermen.The first six columns in Table 16.6.1 show how acceptance of wife beating varies for eachreason. The last column gives the percentages of women who feel that wife beating is justified for at leastone of the given reasons. A woman who believes that a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wifefor any reason at all may believe herself to be of low status, both absolutely and relative to men. Such aperception could act as a barrier to accessing health care for her and her children, could affect her attitudetoward contraceptive use, and could impact her general well being.Table 16.6.1 shows that approximately four in ten women believe that a husband is justified inbeating his wife for at least one of the six specified reasons. As head of household, a man is traditionallyan important figure in Swazi family life. Hence, a woman who argues with her husband is considereddisrespectful. Traditional customs teach women to be submissive and tolerant of marital problemsincluding wife beating, so it is encouraging to note that the majority of women in Swaziland do notsubscribe to that notion. Thirty-three percent of women believe that a husband is justified in beating hiswife if she has sex with other men; 17 percent think that a husband is justified in beating his wife if sheargues with him.250 | Women’s Empowerment and Demographic and Health Outcomes