Understanding Gender Ideology on Attitudes towards Violence against Women in Rural Bangladesh

Gender ideology in the context of attitudes and views concerning violence against women (VAW) is a crucial global issue, particularly in Bangladesh. This study explores gender ideology toward violence against women in rural Bangladesh. This study followed a mixed-methods research technique, conducting two focus group discussions (FGDs) and interviewing 400 rural people (200 men and 200 women, aged 18 to 50) from eight cluster villages in Paba Upazila of Rajshahi District, Bangladesh. The findings indicate that people were traditional in their attitudes toward women’s empowerment and violence, victim-blaming, men’s power over women, and acceptance of male dominance but liberal in their views on the relationship between hijab/veil and violence against women. This study argues that patriarchal adherence is represented among people’s gender ideology in rural Bangladesh. The findings of this study imply that improving awareness about gender and violence could help to promote liberal thinking among individuals in rural Bangladesh, hence preventing widespread attitudes toward violence against women.