The attitude of women and men towards spousal abuse is an important indicator in assessing the social status of rural women, says the report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations entitled “Gender, agriculture and rural development in Armenia.” 

According to the authors of the report, “women from the lowest wealth quintile, with the lowest educational levels and from rural areas are the most likely to accept this subordination in the form of domestic violence.” In particular, the respondents were asked if it was justifiable that a husband beats his wife in the following cases: 1) burning the food; 2) arguing with the husband; 3) going out without telling the husband; 4) neglecting the children; and 5) refusing to have intercourse.

18.2 percent of women with lower educational levels considered spousal abuse to be justified in at least one of these situations, a figure that is almost four times lower in case of women with higher education.

13.9 percent of women from the lowest wealth quintiles, and 25.1 percent of women with five children or more also consider it justifiable in one of the abovementioned situations, a figure that is three times lower in the case of women with no children or women from the highest wealth quintiles (20 percent of the population).

“Women in rural areas are more permissive of spousal abuse: 11.8 percent of women from rural areas consider this aggression to be justifiable, compared with 8 percent of women from urban areas. Moreover, in the Region of Tavush, 23 percent of women accept this type of spousal abuse.

The figures are much higher among men. 28 percent of men living in rural areas consider it justifiable, compared with 14.8 percent of men from urban areas. The percentages are also higher among men with basic or secondary education and from the lowest wealth quintiles, with more than 25 percent and 31 percent of men respectively considering this type of violence to be justifiable. 56 percent of men from the Region of Lori see this kind of behaviour as acceptable and justifiable,” the report reads.