Nordic countries: Highest in gender equality and intimate partner violence against women
7-Jun-2016
Nordic countries: Highest in gender equality and intimate partner violence against women
A new report in Social Science & Medicine offers insights into the phenomenon dubbed the 'Nordic paradox' and urges further investigation
Elsevier
Oxford, UK, June 7, 2016 - The Nordic countries are the most gender equal nations in the world, but at the same time, they also have a disproportionately high rate of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women. This is perplexing because logically violence against women would be expected to drop as women gained equal status in a society. A new study published in Social Science & Medicine explores this contradictory situation, which has been labeled the "Nordic paradox." Researchers believe that gaining understanding of its underlying causes may offer important tools to help curb the worldwide public health epidemic of violence against women.
With a global prevalence of 30%, IPV is the most common form of violence suffered by women. It also contributes to female mortality, with 38.6% of murdered women killed by their partners. In many instances, gender inequality is thought to be a major contributing factor to violence against women, which is why interventions that attempt to boost gender equality are often implemented in an attempt to prevent or lessen IPV against women.
"High prevalence IPV against women and high levels of gender equality would appear contradictory, but these apparently opposite statements appear to be true in Nordic countries, producing what could be called the 'Nordic paradox'," stated co-investigator Enrique Gracia, PhD, Professor, Department of Social Psychology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain. "Despite this paradox being one of the most puzzling issues in the field, interestingly, this is a research question rarely asked and one that remains unanswered."
While gender equality is a fundamental value in Nordic nations, the rates of violence against women are much higher than in other parts of Europe. The average rate of lifetime prevalence of violence against women perpetrated by partners in the European Union is 22%, but Denmark's average is 32%, Finland 30%, and Sweden 28%. The rates are also high in Nordic countries for violence against women by non-partners. Meanwhile, EU members Portugal, Italy, and Greece, which all trail far behind the Nordic nations in gender equality, have much lower rates of IPV against women.
More:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/e-nch060716.php
