U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Predictors of Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence: A Comparative Study of Men in Zambia and Kenya

NCJ Number
237079
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 23 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2008 Pages: 1056-1074
Author(s)
Stephen Lawoko
Date Published
August 2008
Length
19 pages
Annotation
Attitudes toward intimate partner violence (IPV) were compared between Zambian and Kenyan men on sociodemographic, attitudinal, and structural predictors of such attitudes.
Abstract
Data were retrieved from the latest Demographic and Health Surveys in each country. The results showed that many men in Zambia (71 percent) and Kenya (68 percent) justified IPV to punish a woman for transgression from normative domestic roles. In priority order, sociodemographic, autonomy, and access-to-information indicators predicted attitudes toward IPV in both countries. Whereas in Kenya, education reduced the likelihood of justifying IPV, the reverse was observed in Zambia. Access to information reduced the likelihood of justifying IPV among men in Zambia but not in Kenya. Men's positive attitudes toward women's autonomy reduced the likelihood of justifying IPV in Kenya but not in Zambia. Differences in specific predictors between the countries demonstrate the significance of capitalizing on need-adapted interventions tailored to fit conditions in each country. (Published Abstract)