A new survey has found that a third of young men in Germany believe it is acceptable to use violence against women. The study was commissioned by children’s charity Plan International Germany and published in the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung.
As reported by CNN, the survey asked 1,000 men and 1,000 women aged 18-35 from across Germany about their views on masculinity. Of the men surveyed, 34% admitted to being violent towards their female partner in the past, allegedly to “instil respect in them.” Meanwhile, 33% said they thought it was acceptable if their “hand slipped” during an argument with their partner.
The survey also explored attitudes towards victim-blaming and double standards. Shockingly, 50% of men said they would not want a relationship with a woman who had many sexual partners, while 20% of the women interviewed agreed with this statement.
Expectations within relationships were also found to differ greatly between men and women. Over half of men – 52% – wanted a traditional “breadwinner-housewife model,” where they earned most of the money for the household and childcare and household tasks were primarily the woman’s role. However, over two-thirds of women disagreed, wanting equal partnerships and shared decision-making.
Unsurprisingly, the survey found that homophobia is still prevalent in Germany. Almost half of respondents – 48% – expressed a dislike for public displays of homosexuality, saying they felt “disturbed” by it.
Gender equality campaigners have been quick to condemn the findings. A group called the Federal Organization for Equality wrote on Twitter that the results were “shocking.” Karsten Kassner from Federal Forum Men, a group which advocates for gender equality, also called for change as he said “It’s problematic that a third of the surveyed men trivialize physical violence against women.”
According to data from Germany’s Federal Criminal Police, 115,000 women in Germany were victims of partner violence in 2021. The country also has one of the highest rates of femicide in Europe – a problem which was exacerbated during the coronavirus pandemic.
READ MORE: Germany: The Far Right Is On The Rise… Again