MUMBAI: More than 66% of respondents to a recent survey say laws for protection of women are being misused. Merely 25% of them said sexism meant discrimination against women. However, a majority — 62.6%—was clear that it is not okay for a man to hit a woman even if she does.

The survey, which was conducted by a group of St Xavier’s College students, aimed to look at “the social discrimination of men”. The group of 10 psychology students surveyed a total of 2,000 Mumbaikars across age and income groups to understand the prevalence of “sexism against men” in India over two months through field interviews.

“The purpose of the survey was to find the issues that men face like discrimination, harassment and so on. The project is not against feminism nor does it intend to hurt the sentiments of women in any manner. The basic idea was to promote awareness about men who are often seen as promoting patriarchy in society,” said Avkash Jadhav, professor in-charge of the project.

A total of 58.95% of the respondents said that men were threatened by laws for protecting women. “It was found that 63.8% of the men who were surveyed felt threatened and, on the other hand, 53.7% women said that men feel threatened by such laws,” said Shivira Mukherji, one of the students.

Touching on the bias towards women in the legal system, more than 64% of the respondents felt that a married woman, too, must be convicted under Indian Penal Code’s section 497. Under the section, a man can be punished for sexual relations with a woman who he knows is another man’s wife; the woman is not punishable as an abettor.

Respondents were also asked if the situation would be different if we lived in a matriarchal society. Almost 51% said men would be treated the same way as women are.

The survey brings out the need for forums to address cases of discrimination against men. Almost 73% of the respondents said there is a need for development cells for men. “Women can visit a lot of forums and cells for redressal but not men. There is a social stigma attached to men coming up and speaking about discrimination or abuse but they should at least get an opportunity for redressal,” said Jadhav.

