Brazilians still blame women for rape, study finds

In a survey conducted by Institutes Avon and Locomotiva, presented Wednesday (Dec. 7) at the forth Fale sem Medo forum (talk with no fear, in a literal English translation), 88% of the respondents said there are still major inequalities between men and women in the Brazilian society. Even though 85% of men agree that fathers should teach their children not to be misogynistic, 48% find it unpleasant or humiliating for a man to do household chores while his wife works outside, and a mere 35% think men have the responsibility to help women.

After hearing 1,800 people across 70 cities, the study revealed that, despite the criticism, actions show tolerance towards sexist behavior, since 61% of respondents, men and women included, consider that women who allowed themselves to be photographed are also to blame when a man shares intimate pictures without their permission on social media, and 27% believe that, in certain cases, women may be held accountable for being raped.

In the survey, entitled “The Role of Men in Deconstructing Misogyny,” 78% of respondents agree that women should know their rights and be encouraged to fight for them; 59% said they should all be respected regardless of their looks or behavior; 67% say that men and women should be equally in charge of home chores and parenting.

Misogyny is viewed as negative by 79% of people. Although 87% of interviewees agreed that at least a portion of the population is sexist, only 24% see themselves as such. The survey also shows that 24% of men do not have the courage to defend a woman in front of other men, and that 31% would not like to be sexist, but do not know what to do.

Feminism

As for perceptions on feminism, 20% of men and 55% of women call themselves feminists, but 55% of people say feminism is the opposite of misogyny, and 32% think feminism is outdated. Another 44% of the people heard state that calling men sexist does not motivate them to join the engagement against violence targeting women, and 54% of the interviewees said they had a private conversation before changing their minds.

“The mere fact that a fourth of the population admit they're sexist shows there's a lot of progress to be made before this topic is really perceived as something wrong,” said Locomotiva Institute head Renato Meirelles. In his view, people's knowledge about the issue is still very superficial. “Six out of every ten men—that is, 46 million of adult Brazilian men—believe they could deal with women's issues in a different, better way,” Meirelles argued.

Mafoani Odara Poli Santos, who coordinates projects on fighting violence against women at the Avon Institute, believes that the survey can lead to major insights and important changes. “But there's still a lot of tolerance towards violence against women, with men claiming women are to blame for being raped. These data bring together perception and practice. In the most essential things in the education process, people are unable to change.”

Journalist Jacira Melo, founder and executive director of the Patrícia Galvão Institute, argues that this is the right time to debate the subject with men. She mentioned the state of affairs 36 years ago, when violence against women was not recognized as a serious social problem, and women would protest all across the country, writing on walls the words “Quem ama não mata,” (if you love, don't kill).

“We've had a process in which women staged a veritable insurrection in the country, saying 'enough of violence,' violence being a social problem, not a problem behind closed doors,” she said, adding that, “behind a woman suffering from violence, there's a man who needs to change.”

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira