PANAJI: Goa has an increased awareness of sexual rights and freedom of women with over 90% of people believing that a woman is within her right to refuse sex with her husband if she is aware that he has intercourse with other women, according to the findings of the National Family Health Survey 2019-20 (NFHS-5).
Also, 90% of women and 93% of men believe that the woman is justified in refusing to have sex with her husband, “if she is tired” or “not in the mood”, the survey has found.
The questions over conjugal relationships were added for the first time in NFHS-5 and have thrown up some pleasantly surprising answers on what transpires in marital beds.
“Eighty nine per cent of men agree that if a wife refuses to have sex with her husband he does not have a right to get angry and reprimand her, refuse to give financial support, use force to have sex even if she does not want to, or have sex with another woman,” NFHS-5 findings states.
In Goa, the NFHS-5 field survey was conducted in North and South districts from August 30, 2019, to November 26, 2019, through a private entity.
For the survey, the information was collected from 1,856 households—2,030 women in the 15-49 age group and 313 men aged 15-54.
As per NFHS-5, around 5% of ever-married women in the 18-49 age group reported their husband having physically forced them to have sex against their wishes.
Another 3% stated that their husbands had forced them with threats or in any other way to perform sexual acts they did not want to perform.
“Overall, 8% of ever-married women have experienced spousal physical or sexual violence from their current husband or, if not currently married, from their most recent husband.
Few ever-married women (2%) reported that they have initiated violence against their husband when he was not already beating or physically hurting them,” the survey said.
Among married women in the 18-49 age group, 7% told of having experienced any form of physical violence committed by their husband.
Five percent reported having undergone any form of sexual violence from their husband and 6% said they have experienced any form of emotional violence committed by their husband.
Though these figures may seem low, the survey has also thrown up some disturbing data as well.
Around 35% of women and men agreed that it is okay for a husband to hit or beat his wife under some circumstances in Goa, according to NFHS-5.
Women were found most likely to agree that wife beating is justified if the woman has shown disrespect for her in-laws (30%).
If the wife neglects the house or her children (20%) and if the husband suspects her of being unfaithful (16%), the husband is fine with hitting the wife, the surveyed women felt.
Nearly an equal number of men also believed the same.
They were most likely to agree that wife beating is justified if the woman shows disrespect towards in-laws (30%) or if he suspects her of being unfaithful (29%) and if she neglects the house or children (12%).
Of the women in Goa, who have ever been in a marriage, 7% said they had been slapped by their husband.
Four per cent reported being pushed, shaken, or having something thrown at them.
Three per cent experienced having their arm twisted or hair pulled and 2% said they had experienced being pushed with a fist or something that could hurt her.