Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to examine Palestinian women's beliefs about wife beating and the extent to which these beliefs are influenced by their patriarchal ideology. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by a systematic random sample of 425 women from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The results indicate that although one third of the women believed there is no excuse for a man to beat his wife, a substantial percentage still justified wife beating under several conditions (e.g., when a wife is perceived as sexually unfaithful or as challenging her husband's manhood). Furthermore, although most of the participants tended to hold violent husbands responsible for their behavior, a substantial proportion indicated that they understand the violent husbands and do not consider them solely responsible for their behavior. The study shows that adherence to patriarchal ideology significantly explains the variance in participants' beliefs about wife beating. The implications of these results are discussed.