Masculinity Today: Men’s Attitudes to Gender Stereotypes and Violence Against Women

To fill the gaps in the data on men’s behavioral practices and attitudes related to gender equality and violence, UNFPA Ukraine launched a survey – based on the approaches of Equimundo’s International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMАGES) – adjusted to the socio-cultural context in Ukraine. The survey topics covered men’s experiences in childhood and in relationships, division of power in households and attitudes related to parenting, perceptions of the gender norms, awareness of gender-sensitive legislation, and attitudes on gender-based violence (GBV).

Men’s attitudes around GBV represent the key focus of this study, as the scope of this issue is quite large in Ukraine. The survey findings confirmed that men are quite tolerant of domestic violence (in particular, 18% of respondents justify physical violence if a wife cheats on a husband) and biased toward victims of sexual violence, who are often blamed for provoking criminal offenses through their behaviors or lifestyles.

The survey findings also revealed that younger men demonstrated more progressive views in terms of the gender division of social roles, and support for shared family decision-making and involved parenting. The report emphasizes the importance of focusing advocacy efforts and information campaigns on young men who have significant potential to promote gender equality.