News

41% Of Gabonese Think It is Right For A Man To Beat His Wife – Survey

A good proportion of Gabonese still thinks that it is justified for a man to beat his wife, according to the results of a survey carried out by Afrobarometer published on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

Afrobarometer, which carries out studies on women rights and gender-based violence, in its ninth survey on Gabon, found that “a majority of Gabonese judge as satisfactory, the government’s performance in the promotion of equality of rights and chances in favour of women.”

Out of 1,200 Gabonese interviewed between Nov.15 and Dec. 6, 2021, 57 per cent estimated that women must have the same opportunities as the men in the domain of employment while 82 per cent of those spoken to are of the opinion that men and women must have the same rights in land matters.

While the country has adopted a new judicial dispensation to best protect women, 75 per cent of public opinion feels more still has to be done but, “a large majority of Gabonese still feel that it is justified for a man to beat his wife if she does something that the man does not like.”

The study found that 24 per cent of Gabonese said gender-based violence is justified while 41 per cent feel it is right to beat a woman when she does something bad.


Six out of 10 (63%) of the people interviewed affirmed that “the men do not utilize violence against women and girls in the house”.

For 56 per cent of Gabonese, domestic violence constitutes a penal affair rather than a family affair that must be treated within the family, while 51 per cent of the people think it is probable for a victim of gender-based violence to report to competent authorities and 41 per cent think resorting to relevant authorities is not probable.

Concerning the consequences when a female victim reports gender-based violence to the relevant authorities, 60 per cent of those interviewed were of the opinion that “it is very probable that the women who make the reports would be criticized or harassed”.


Support Our Journalism

There are millions of ordinary people affected by conflict in Africa whose stories are missing in the mainstream media. HumAngle is determined to tell those challenging and under-reported stories, hoping that the people impacted by these conflicts will find the safety and security they deserve.

To ensure that we continue to provide public service coverage, we have a small favour to ask you. We want you to be part of our journalistic endeavour by contributing a token to us.

Your donation will further promote a robust, free, and independent media.

Donate Here

Of course, we want our exclusive stories to reach as many people as possible and would appreciate it if you republish them. We only ask that you properly attribute to HumAngle, generally including the author's name, a link to the publication and a line of acknowledgement. Contact us for enquiries or requests.

Contact Us

Chief Bisong Etahoben

Chief Bisong Etahoben is a Cameroonian investigative journalist and traditional ruler. He writes for international media and has participated in several transnational investigations. Etahoben won the first-ever Cameroon Investigative Journalist Award in 1992. He serves as a member of a number of international investigative journalism professional bodies including the Forum for African Investigative Reporters (FAIR). He is HumAngle's Francophone and Central Africa editor.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Translate »