But What About Men? A Qualitative Evidence of Intimate Partner Violence Experienced by Men in Bangladesh

The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify and share emotional as well as psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by the husbands in Bangladesh by their wives. The study further elaborates on the consequences of such IPV on the victims’ families based on informal interviews. The researcher purposively selected 53 married men (husbands) from different locations of Bangladesh who were victimized by their wives and took informal interviews of them using an unstructured questionnaire. Afterward, the interview contents were coded and presented as direct quotes. The themes of this study were (i) types of abuses/IPV against husbands; (ii) causes of abuses/IPV against husbands; (iii) after-effects of abuses/IPV against husbands; (iv) husbands’ perceptions of reducing/stopping abuses/IPV by their wives and improving their conjugal lives; and (v) husbands’ feelings during and after the IPV/violence/abuses caused by their wives. Participants reported emotional, mental/psychological, and physical abuses/IPV caused by their wives. The causes of abuse were, as reported by the participants, wives’ excessive expectations, unnecessary and expensive demands, comparing with others, misguided by husband's in-laws, cousins, and friends, husbands’ financial insecurity, and extra-marital affairs of wives. The participants reported trauma and mental disorder, fear of losing dignity; and adverse effects on family and children as the after-effects of such abuses. Regarding the reducing/stopping strategy, the participants reported to have endured the abuse and taking the issue to their relatives for consultation. Finally, the participants felt insulted during the abuse. However, they reported that they rationalized the abuse/IPV thinking of their children's future. Although being abused by women is not a new practice, it is severely less researched in academia so far. This study unveils a novel orientation of IPV toward men in an Asian Muslim country that can help us better understand the existence of abuse against men. Thus, academics, practitioners, and social organizations can offer valuable resources and support in reducing the prevalence of IPV against men.