11.9% of women in Georgia have suffered violent abuse at the hands of their partners, says a recent survey

 

20.03.2025

 

“Georgians are generally positive when it comes to the basic principles of gender equality. However, people’s attitudes towards the allocation of family responsibilities, childcare and the role of men and women remain conservative. For example, a woman having a career or developing politically was supported by survey respondents but was not seen as a priority when compared to her role in the family”, according to a recent report from the UN’s Population Fund and Development Programme.

 

The new UN report describes perceptions and attitudes to gender issues in Georgia, as well as the views of the adult population on gender-related matters. Around one in three people believe there is no gender equality in Georgia.

 

The main findings of the survey are as follows:

 

Many respondents support the idea that inherited property should be distributed equally, regardless of the children’s gender. However, conservative societal attitudes are of relevance here, with one in three men and one in five or more women believing that a parent’s estate should be left to the son.

 

Compared to 2019, last year saw a rise in the number of women who are in favour of an equal division of their parents’ home, land or family business, with men less likely to be supportive of this.

 

Just over 57% of Georgia’s population think that a woman’s principal duty is to take care of her family rather than having a career. It is noteworthy that such sentiments have decreased among young respondents.

 

At the same time, those who took part in the survey have noticed the positive impact that women have had on the national political stage. In particular, 71.6% of women and 51.8% of men believe that more active engagement by women in Georgian politics is beneficial for the country.

 

Half of all respondents believe that men and women can be equally successful in running a business, with 20% more women believing this to be the case.

 

Relationships and abuse

 

Women are more likely than men to report psychological abuse by their partners.

 

11.9% of women say that their partner has abused or humiliated them, with 9.1% stating they had been insulted in front of others. 9.6% said that their partner had intimidated or threatened

them by shouting or throwing objects. It is sobering to note that 3% of men agree that they could commit such acts against their own partner.

 

4.5% of women have been sexually abused by a partner. Only 1.9% of men admit they have forced their partner to have non-consensual sex. 1.5% of women say they were coerced into having sex with someone other than their partner.

 

Compared to 2019, the percentage of respondents who believe that women should put up with abuse for the sake of keeping their family together went up last year.

 

Younger respondents are less tolerant of domestic abuse compared to the older ones.

 

The number of men and women who agree that there are certain situations when it is justified to hit a woman was the same in 2019 and 2024.

 

Half of male and female respondents think that violence committed against women is accepted/common. Compared to 2019, the figure has fallen from 64.2% to 55.3% for women and remained virtually the same for men.

 

One in four women and one in five men know at least one woman who has suffered some form of domestic abuse. The figures were similar in 2019.

 

Division of unpaid work

 

Women have taken over nearly all household chores. Nine out of ten women say that they wash clothes, clean the house, bathroom and toilet. Eight out of ten women also list cooking as one of their responsibilities.

 

Childcare

 

In Georgia, raising children is seen as a mother’s duty. Six out of ten women say that childcare is their main responsibility, which was confirmed by half of men (52.9%), while around 40% of men and women claim that this is a joint commitment within a couple.

 

The woman’s role includes being at home with the children (63.2%), playing with them, or participating together in various recreational pursuits (51.6%), changing children’s clothes and nappies (75.7%), talking to children about personal problems (52.7%), helping the children with household chores (58.6%) and putting children to bed (70.5%).

 

The father’s role in raising his children is seen as important, although practical support in their upbringing is still regarded as a woman’s responsibility. Eighty-one percent of men and women say that fatherhood is the most important role in a man’s life, while around 70% of men and women say that changing nappies, bathing and feeding the child should be done by the mother.

 

In addition, around the same number of people believe that if the husband is the family’s breadwinner, his wife should take on household chores that are usually done by men.

Source: https://ru.netgazeti.ge/67771/