The factors associated to justify the physical partner violence among married women in Turkey

Background: Gender-based violence is widespread in Turkey, and the internalization of patriarchal values is an important barrier for women to develop resistance to such violence. Aims: This study aims to assess the attitudes of married women in Turkey towards the justification of physical partner violence, and to examine the predictors for justifying such violence so that ways of resisting it can be identified. Methods: The data for the study was taken from the 2013 Turkish Demographic and Health Survey. A sub-sample of 6,655 married women of reproductive age were included in the analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was carried out. Results: In this cross-sectional study, women with no formal education and women who had completed the primary level of education only were more likely to justify the use of physical violence against them (OR = 4.04, 95% CI = 1.96-8.36 and OR = 2.44, 95% CI = 1.24-4.79, respectively) compared to higher educated women. Women who had three or more children were more likely to justify the use of physical violence compared to women with two or fewer children (OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.10-1.56). Women who did not use the internet were 1.67 times more likely to justify the use of physical violence compared to women who use the internet (OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.27-2.20). Discussion and conclusions: Although women who had fewer children, women who lived in an urban setting, and women in wealthy households justify partner physical violence less than women with more children, women living in a rural setting and women in poor households, the education, and profession of women's partners are critical factors, too. Education and internet access for women are crucial ways of developing strategies to resist partner violence. Such access helps to involve women in the public sphere, assists in the development of internet literacy, can change their way of thinking about violence, and open up the development of resistance strategies.