where 61.5% and 58.5% respondents agreed that
under no circumstances should a man hit a woman.
It is imperative to note women progressively have
come to affirm their conviction that it is wrong
for their husbands to hit them, with a staggering
77.4% stating so in 2019. This is a meaningful shift
from 2005 when fewer women (53.5%) felt it was
wrong for husbands to hit their wives, and in 2011
where more women stated that men cannot hit
them (64.4%). The patterns have shifted in men’s
reporting on the subject matter as well. 2019
records the highest number of men stating that it
is unacceptable to hit their wives (61.5% in 2005,
50.3% in 2011 and 70.3% in 2019).
Slightly more people living in the outer islands
(75.4%) seem to believe hitting a woman is
unacceptable compared to respondents from
urban settings (74.2%).
People in the 60-69 age group, appeared to
(60.9%) believe most strongly that a man should
not hit his wife, while those aged between 16-19
had the opposite view on this (65.2%).
The migrant workers responded robustly against
inflicting violence on a woman, with 71.1%
respondents strongly agreeing, as opposed to
54.2% of Maldivians.
The respondents were then asked about their
views on men hitting their wives under any
circumstances. 74.9% of respondents were in
agreement with the statement that a husband
should never hit his wife under any circumstances
and the views were similar between both genders
Table 30: A husband should never hit his wife under any circumstances, by gender
the reasons provided as an excuse for a wife to
hit or physically abuse her husband.
When asked whether not completing the
housework to her satisfaction is a good enough
reason for the wife to hit her husband, 3.0% of
the respondents agreed to this statement of
which 2.5% were women and 3.7% were men.
In addition, 4.0 % of the respondents believe
that the woman can hit her husband if he fails
to obey her and no significant difference was
observed between men and women. When
asked if a woman could hit her husband if he
refuses to have sex, 4.4% of the respondents
were in agreement with this statement and the
views were similar between the genders.
Table 31: Does the woman have a good reason to hit her husband if she
does not complete housework to her satisfaction, by gender
Female
Male
Total
Strongly agree
1.68%
1.82%
1.82%
Agree
0.84%
1.82%
1.18%
Neutral
0.28%
1.82%
0.82%
Disagree
66.34%
64.06%
65.40%
Strongly disagree
23.56%
22.92%
23.25%
RF
1.26%
0.52%
1.09%
DK
6.03%
7.03%
6.45%
Table 32: Does the woman have a good reason to hit her husband if he
disobeys her, by gender
Female
Male
Total
Strongly agree
1.54%
1.56%
1.63%
Agree
2.52%
2.08%
2.36%
Neutral
0.84%
2.08%
1.27%
Disagree
64.38%
63.80%
64.03%
Strongly disagree
23.00%
22.92%
22.89%
Male
Female
Total
RF
1.40%
0.78%
1.27%
Strongly agree
56.25%
55.54%
55.68%
DK
6.31%
6.77%
6.54%
Agree
14.06%
21.88%
19.26%
Neither agree nor disagree
5.99%
4.07%
4.81%
Disagree
14.84%
11.92%
12.90%
Strongly disagree
2.86%
2.81%
2.82%
RF
0.52%
1.12%
0.91%
DK/NA
5.47%
2.66%
3.63%
JUSTIFICATIONS FOR WOMEN HITTING THEIR
HUSBANDS
A similar set of questions were asked regarding
justification for women hitting their husband.
Similar to the question on men hitting their wives,
most of the respondents did not agree on any of
Table 33: Does the woman have a good reason to hit her husband if he if he
refuses to have sex,by gender
Female
Male
Total
Strongly agree
2.24%
2.08%
2.27%
Agree
1.96%
2.34%
2.09%
Neutral
0.42%
2.34%
1.09%
Disagree
64.38%
62.50%
63.58%
Strongly disagree
23.00%
22.92%
22.89%
RF
1.40%
0.52%
1.18%
DK
6.59%
7.29%
6.90%
33