Attitudes towards wife-beating justification and its association with female genital mutilation – analysis of ever-married Somali women in the 2020 Somali Health and Demographic Survey
Abdirahman Saeed Mohamed, Espen Bjertness, Aung Soe Htet, Win Thuzar Aye, Ahmed Ali Madar

TL;DR
This study finds that many Somali women justify wife-beating, especially if they believe female genital mutilation is a religious obligation.
Contribution
The study reveals a significant link between justifying wife-beating and perceiving FGM/C as a religious duty in Somalia.
Findings
56.5% of women justified wife-beating for at least one reason.
Women who believe FGM/C is religiously mandated are more likely to justify wife-beating.
Higher rates of justification were found in older, less educated, and rural women.
Abstract
In Somalia, despite its prohibition, female circumcision persists alongside significant intimate partner violence. This study examines the prevalence of wife-beating justification among Somali women and its link to the perception that female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a religious obligation. We studied 7726 married Somali women 15–49 y of age from the 2020 Somali Health and Demographic Survey. Using χ2 tests and logistic regression, we examined wife-beating justification by covariates and its connection to the perception that FGM/C is a religious obligation. The prevalence of women justifying wife-beating for any of six reasons was 56.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 55.3 to 57.6). A higher prevalence of wife-beating justification was found among women 35–49 y of age (59.9% [95% CI 57.8 to 61.9]), without education (57.7% [95% CI 56.5 to 59.0]), rural residents (57.8% [95%…
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Taxonomy
TopicsFemale Genital Mutilation/Cutting Issues · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Genital Health and Disease
