Educated households see less domestic violence — survey

AMMAN — The 2017-2018 Jordan Population and Family Health Survey (JPFHS) has revealed a correlation between the increasing literacy rate in Jordan and a decrease in violence against women.

Conducted nationwide by the Department of Statistics (DoS) in both urban and rural areas, the survey’s data came from interviews with over 19,000 households, 14,870 women aged 15 to 49 who have been married at some point and 6,640 men aged 15 to 59.

The survey noted that its primary aim was to provide estimates for basic family health indicators as well as to ensure that strategic policies are in line with national goals.

According to DoS social mapping data, it is uncommon for women in Jordan — especially those under the age of 25 — to seek help from service providers, including lawyers, doctors and police, as only 3 per cent of this segment received assistance from these entities, according to the survey.

Only 19 per cent of women who were victims of violence and abuse committed by their husbands sought help, and out of that total, 77 per cent sought support from their own families.

In spite of these figures, the increase in literacy rates to 96 per cent of women and 98 per cent of men correlates with a decline in reports of physical, sexual and emotional violence, especially given that a woman with more than secondary education (14 per cent of all educated women) is less likely to have experienced physical violence, the survey noted. 

The percentage of women who have experienced emotional, physical or sexual violence from their current or previous husband decreases with higher levels of the husband’s education, as the survey showed that only 19.5 per cent of highly educated men commit violence towards their wives.   

The survey, which was carried out in the Kingdom’s 12 governorates, showed in its study on attitudes towards wife beating, that 2 per cent of women say that their husbands are justified in beating or hitting them if they burned food they prepared, 18 per cent agree that they should face abuse if they disobey their husbands, argue with them or insult them. 

Out of the women interviewed, 46 per cent said that violence is permissible if the wife has committed at least one of the aforementioned acts, the survey said. 

The survey also indicated that among women, attitudes justifying wife beating commonly drop with increasing levels of education and household wealth.

The JPFHS is the seventh demographic and health survey conducted in the Kingdom, comprising a “robust database of statements” due to the high household response rate — nearly 98 per cent at the national level, according to the survey.

The survey was funded by the Jordanian Government, the United States Agency for International Development, the United Nations Populations Fund and the United Nations Children’s Fund.