'Women must endure violence' — survey on gender attitudes in Georgia
Survey on gender attitudes in Georgia
Politics is still widely viewed as a male domain, while family matters and child-rearing remain women’s primary responsibilities. Men are comparatively more likely to view violence against their partners as acceptable and even believe that some women want to be raped — these are just some of the findings from a new study on gender attitudes conducted in Georgia.
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Conducted for the third time, the survey provides comparative data from 2013, 2019, and 2024, showing that attitudes toward several gender-related issues have worsened over time.
This article summarises the key findings from the study titled: “Men, Women and Gender Relations in Georgia: Public Perceptions and Attitudes.”
The survey covered 11 regions across Georgia and included 2,408 respondents, among them 1,380 women (57.3%) and 1,028 men (42.7%), all aged 18 and older. Fieldwork was conducted during July–August 2024.
The study was carried out at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with support from Sweden.
Key findings of the study
Hiring women means taking jobs away from men. By 2024, the number of people who believe that hiring women equals taking jobs from men nearly tripled. In 2019, 7.5% of respondents held this view; in the latest survey, that figure rose to 20.7%.
Women’s rights seen as a threat to men’s rights. The number of people who believe that granting rights to women comes at the expense of men’s rights also doubled— from 10.3% in 2019 to 18.7% in 2024.
Housework and childcare remain women’s responsibilities
The survey shows that household chores are still overwhelmingly carried out by women.
9 out of 10 women say they primarily handle tasks such as laundry, house cleaning, and bathroom/toilet cleaning. Additionally, 8 out of 10 list cooking as one of their regular duties.
Women also take on a major share of childcare. 6 in 10 women say raising children is their main responsibility, a view shared by 52.9% of men.
While fatherhood is widely regarded as important, practical involvement in childrearing is still largely seen as the mother’s role.
81% of both women and men agree that fatherhood is the most important role in a man’s life.
Yet around 70% believe that tasks such as changing diapers, bathing, and feeding the child are the mother’s responsibility.
Men still rarely present at childbirth
The share of men who said they were present at the birth of their child remains low. In 2024, only 7.5% of women and 8.2% of men reported that the father was present during childbirth. This marks a slight increase from 2019, when the figures were 6.5% among women and 7.4% among men.
Only 1.3% of men said they took leave or quit their job when their child was born.
Meanwhile, half of both women and men still consider a man’s presence at the birth of his own child unacceptable.
Politics still seen as man’s domain
Support for the belief that men make better political leaders has increased. In 2019, 48.5% of respondents believed men are better at governing the country. By 2024, that number rose to 58%—meaning two in three respondents think men are more suited to political leadership. This view is held by 69% of men and 48.4% of women.
While respondents acknowledge the positive impact of women’s political participation, half of Georgia’s population still believes politics is more suitable for men. This opinion is shared by 48.6% of women and 66.1% of men.
Male focus group participants explained the low number of women in politics by saying that women have different interests and priorities, such as motherhood, and are too emotional to make sound political decisions.
Quote from the study: “Women are more prone to make spontaneous decisions and take things too personally, so they can’t make the right decisions with a cool head.” — 31-year-old man, Telavi
Women can work—but should still prioritize family
Half of Georgia’s population believes men and women can be equally successful in business, but 20% more women than men agree with this view.
Compared to 2019, the number of women who believe this rose from 56.2% to 62.2%, while the number of men who agree fell from 53.5% to 43.6%.
Although both male and female respondents prefer women to be employed, they also believe that women’s priorities should remain focused on traditional roles.
One in three women say their partner is sole breadwinner
One-third of women report that their partner is the only one earning income in the household. Additionally, 32.1% of women and 24.1% of men say the man earns more than the woman in their relationship.
Among men, only 6.6% say that their female partner is the sole earner in the family.
Men make big spending decisions
Men are more likely to make decisions on major purchases than on day-to-day expenses.
1 in 5 women say their partner makes the decisions on large expenses, such as buying a car, home, or appliances. By contrast, only 11.9% of women say their partner is involved in decisions about everyday spending.
Most men—and a significant share of women—believe that the final say in decision-making should belong to the man and that a “good wife” should not question his choices.
Men less likely to support equal inheritance between sons and daughters
The survey shows that fewer men in 2024 support equal inheritance for sons and daughters compared to 2019.
At the same time, support for equal inheritance has grown among women.
51.5% of men and 70.4% of women support equal inheritance of family property. 55.2% of men and 73.5% of women support equal distribution of land. 55.3% of men and 76.3% of women favour equal inheritance of business assets.
Women and violence
Economic and psychological abuse
At least 1 in 10 women reported experiencing economic abuse from a male partner.
13.2% of women said their partner prevented them from finding or going to work, while 0.7% said their partner took away money they had earned.
Women are also more likely than men to report experiencing psychological abuse from their partners:
11.9% said their partner had insulted or humiliated them. 9.1% reported that their partner had insulted them in front of others. 9.6% said their partner had intimidated or threatened them by shouting or throwing objects.
Men are more likely to view violence against their partners as acceptable
The study reveals that 4.5% of women have experienced sexual violence from a partner. In contrast, only 1.9% of menadmitted to forcing their partner to have sex when she didn’t want to.
Additionally, 1.5% of women said they were coerced into sex by someone who was not their partner.
2% of women reported being blackmailed online—threatened with the release of intimate photos—or subjected to other forms of sexual violence in digital spaces.
In 2019, 34.1% of men believed that a wife has no right to refuse sex to her husband.
By 2024, this figure had risen to 43.5%.
Woman should endure violence to preserve the family
Compared to 2019, the 2024 survey shows a rise in the number of respondents who believe that women should tolerate violence to keep the family together. According to the data, 1 in 5 men (22.2%) now holds this view.
19.8% believe there are situations in which a woman deserves to be beaten.
Nearly half of men (46.3%) say that violence between husband and wife is a private matter and others should not interfere. This opinion is shared by 37.4% of women.
1 in 4 women and 1 in 5 men personally know at least one woman who has experienced some form of domestic violence.
Some men believe women want to be raped
Nearly one in three men say they often wonder whether a woman had a bad reputation when they hear about her being raped. Many also believe that if a woman didn’t physically resist, it shouldn’t be considered rape. Shockingly, one in four women agrees with these views.
20% of men think that in some cases, women want to be raped.
Another one in five men believes that if a woman was raped, it usually means she did something to put herself in that situation.
Since 2019, the share of male respondents who blame women for rape has increased from 14.4% to 21.2% in 2024.
