title: Women's autonomy and support for wife beating: findings from a population-based survey in Jordan.
abstract: The aim of this study is to examine attitudes among married women toward wife beating and to investigate the hypothesis that female individual empowerment is associated with such attitudes within a broader context of societal patriarchy in Jordan. The study uses data from a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of married women (n = 5,390) conducted in 2002. Associations between acceptance of wife beating and several women's empowerment variables, including decision-making power, as well as other risk factors were assessed, using odds ratios from binary logistic regression models. The key finding is that the vast majority (87.5%) of Jordanian women believe that wife beating is justified in at least one hypothetical scenario, and justification is negatively associated with empowerment variables and some demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic factors.
authors.affiliation: Harvard School of Public Health, USA.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Linos
authors.forename: Marwan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khawaja
authors.forename: Mohannad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Nsour
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018585:Battered Women / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007597:Jordan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000208:ethnology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D012931:Social Environment; D012938:Social Perception; D012944:Social Support; D012945:Social Values; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D018454:Spouses / Q000208:ethnology*; D014933:Women's Rights / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult