For a third of young Germans, violence against women is 'acceptable'

A new controversy arises in discussions and circles of gender equality activism: according to recent surveys, a third of young people in Germany considers the use of violence against women to be ‘acceptable’.

The “Plan International Germany” survey was commissioned by the children's charity, the results of which were first published in the regional newspaper Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung.

To carry out the survey, a group of 2,000 people (1,000 men and 1,000 women) aged between 18 and 35 years old, residents of different parts of Germany, were invited to give their opinion on a common theme: masculinity. The study was carried out online.

The data collected was considered shocking.

In one of the findings, 34% of men admitted to having used violence with their female partners at some point in the past.

The reason given for resorting to aggression was “gaining respect”. In the same range, 33% said they thought it was acceptable for their “hand to slip” during an argument, without expressing any remorse about it.

To outline the construction of an affective relationship to victim blaming, the survey concluded that 50% of men said they would not like to starting a romantic relationship with a woman who had had many sexual partners – 20% of the women interviewed agreed with this opinion.

Another relevant finding of the research was detecting that men and women have different visions and expectations within a relationship.

53% of men wanted a relationship based on backward assumptions, such as the “boss-at-home” model, which consists of men working outside the home, while women take care of the children and chores domestic.

In this regard, two thirds of the women interviewed disagreed, preferring to invest in equal partnerships where decision-making is equally shared.

48% of respondents expressed dislike for public displays of affection among the LGBTQIA+ community, citing discontent with witnessing such occasions.

The Federal Organization for Equality, a German activism group on gender equality, wrote on Twitter that the exposed findings were "shocking".

“According to a survey by Plan International Germany, one in three young people find violence against women ‘acceptable’. This urgently needs to change!”

Karsten Kassner of the Federal Forum Men, a group that advocates for gender equality, also called for changes. saying: “It is problematic that a third of the men surveyed trivialize physical violence against women".

In 2021, 115,000 women in Germany were victims of domestic violence, according to data released by the German Federal Criminal Police (BKA).

In addition, Germany also has a high volume of femicide, considered the highest in Europe. According to BKA data, this rate was aggravated during the Covid-19 pandemic.