Factors Associated with Attitudes of Men towards Gender and Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Eastern Ethiopia: A Multinomial Logistic Regression Analysis

Abstract

Intimate partner violence against women can occur between people in an intimate relationship mostly in gender inequitable society. The attitudes of men towards gender and violence against women is receiving increasing attention. Thus, this study was aimed at determining the attitudes and experiences of men towards gender and violence against women in Boset Wereda, East Ethiopia. A cross-sectional population based household survey was conducted between April, 1 and May, 15, 2015 using quantitative data collection method. Systematic random sampling was used to select a sample of 420 ever partnered men. The collected data was principally analyzed using Multinomial Logistic Regression by SPSS version 21. Overall, childhood experience for any form of violence was witnessed by 87.6% of men. The vast majorities (98.8%) of men ever perpetrated any form of violence against their wife. Almost all (99.1%) men agreed to at least one of the gender inequitable statements and few (1.0%) agreed to non of the gender inequitable statement. Higher age of men (RRR, 2.56; 95%CI,1.39-4.71 and RRR, 2.09; 95%CI, 1.18-3.71), higher income (RRR 2.63; 95%CI, 1.00-6.93), witnessing childhood sexual violence (RRR, 3.03; 95%CI, 1.32-6.96 and RRR, 3.14; 95%CI, 1.45-6.82), and ever perpetrated physical intimate partner violence (RRR, 1.60; 95%CI, 1.21-7.01 and RRR, 1.56; 95%CI, 1.12-19.79 were associated with gender equitable men in both first and second fertiles. High prevalence of witnessing childhood violence and ever perpetration of any form of violence against wife/partners were observed. Nearly all of the men agreed to at least one of the gender inequitable statements. Higher age and higher income, witnessing sexual violence during childhood and ever perpetrated physical violence against their wife increases the risk of having lower gender equitable men. Interventions targeting parents or guardians should be instituted, and education should target to shape children during their early