A sociologist, Dr. Mark Kwaku Mensah Obeng, has shed light on why some women are more likely to experience Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) than others.
He was speaking on The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV, on the topic of Understanding IPV.
According to Dr. Obeng, a survey has shown that women with less education are more prone to IPV.
He explained that this is because they tend to be more dependent on their partners, especially financially, and have less power and control in the relationship.
“What the study is actually showing is that there are certain people who are more prone to being abused and ultimately being the subject of these IPVs, being it the extreme or the intermediate ones.
“So, for example, women who are less educated. Sometimes, people want to use ‘empowered.’ What the study suggests is that such people are more likely to be victims of IPVs. The whole idea is that, for lack of empowerment, they tend to be more dependent, especially when it comes to economics; they are dependent on the man for daily bread,” he said.
Dr. Obeng also discussed other factors that can increase the risk of IPV, such as marital dissatisfaction, adherence to traditional gender roles, social norms supportive of violence, and exposure to war or political violence.