Attitudes toward wife beating among Qatari men and women: An analysis of survey data

The objective of this study is to explore the attitudes of Qatari men and women towards wife beating for transgression of gender norms. Data for this study came from the 2012 Qatar Omnibus Survey, a cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of 788 Qatari men and women aged 18 and above. This survey was conducted by the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute of Qatar University. Men and women were asked if they found wife beating justifiable under different scenarios of gender norm transgressions, such as leaving the house without husband’s permission or disrespecting in-laws. We evaluated these attitudes by key demographic factors. Overall, the level of acceptance of wife beating among Qataris is medium compared to other countries in the region. As expected, women were less likely to support wife beating compared to men, and university-educated women were more likely to oppose wife beating. Showing disrespect for husband was the most agreed common reason for both men and women to justify wife beating