Do Indian women like dominant and aggressive partners? Do they feel it is justified if the partner resorts to violence against them?

These are some questions that have surfaced amid the raging debate on Kabir Singh's stupendous success at the Box Office. A remake of Telugu movie 'Arjun Reddy', the Shahid Kapoor-starrer has earned brickbats from certain sections for glorifying what they are calling 'toxic masculinity'. This despite the movie crossing the Rs 100 crore-mark within a week of its release.

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Surprisingly, India Today's Data Intelligence Unit (DIU) has found that more than half of Indian women justify violence against them by their partners. In fact, fewer men justify wife-beating.

According to data by the National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) of 2015-16, some 51 per cent women in the age group of 15-49 think that a husband is justified in beating his partner in at least one of seven specified circumstances. Men who justify violence against their spouses stand at 42 per cent.

The figures for women justifying violence on behalf of their husbands have not improved much since NFHS-3 of 2005-06. That survey found 54 per cent women rationalising wife-beating against 51 per cent 10 years later. On the contrary, there has been a 9 per cent drop in the number of men justifying violence against their spouses.

While in 2005-06, some 51 per cent men believed it is right to beat their partners, 10 years later, this number came down to 42 per cent.

Why women defend abuse by husbands

Most women surveyed believed it is right for husbands to beat their partners in seven circumstances. These are: disrespect for in-laws, suspicion of being unfaithful to husband, not cooking properly, arguing, going out without informing anyone, not taking care of children or the house and refusing to have physical intimacy.

Among the seven, disrespect for in-laws was the major reason why both sexes agreed wife beating was justified. While 37 per cent women believed that the husband's abuse is justified if she disrespects her in-laws, 29 per cent men felt the same.

The second major justification was neglect of the house or children by the wife. While 33 per cent women justified husband's abuse if they didn't take care of the family, 20 per cent men felt the same.

Suspicion, going out without informing the husband and arguments were other major justifications for wife-beating by both women and men. Violence caused by refusal of physical intimacy figured at the bottom of the list. While 9 per cent men justified wife-beating if she refused sex, 13 per cent women were okay with it.

What leads men to violence against their wives?

- More drunk the husband, more the violence against the wife

Liquor consumption and domestic violence showed a high degree of correlation. According to NHFS-4, 22 per cent wives whose husbands do not drink faced violence. The percentage of women witnessing violence increases with the degree of drunkenness of the husband. The survey shows that 77 per cent wives whose partners are heavy drinkers witnessed violence.

- Less educated, less wealthy women more likely to face abuse

The NFHS-4 highlights that women with good social status are less subjected to domestic abuse. More educated and wealthier women witnessed fewer cases of domestic violence compared to their lesser educated and poorer counterparts.

Roughly 18-19 per cent women who had more than 12 years of schooling witnessed domestic violence, while 41.3 per cent of women who had never gone to school witnessed abuse (physical, emotional and sexual).

Fear of their husbands and domestic violence also showed a high degree of correlation. The survey showed that while 58 per cent women who say they are afraid of their husbands experienced domestic violence, there was 32 per cent chance of a woman who is not scared of her husband to get beaten up.

- Employment status of wife

The survey showed that the employment status of the wife often irked men, and working women were thus more likely to face spousal violence than their unemployed counterparts. The survey results showed that 39 per cent of working women were more likely to witness spousal violence compared to 26 per cent of unemployed women.