People’s Perception of Domestic Violence: An Inquiry in Kerala

Abstract

Domestic violence (DV) is everyday terrorism within the home context across cultures.
The universal portrayals of female victims and male perpetrators are still prevalent. With
the emergence of a pandemic-specific lifestyle, DV surged at an alarming rate worldwide.
Although the conformist patriarchal notions in our society persistently try to normalize
DV, people are getting aware of this social evil with governmental and non-governmental
initiatives. In this context, this qualitative study was framed to explore the DV perceptions
and experiences of people in Kerala. Ten couples (N=20) were interviewed in-depth to
elicit data. A thematic analysis of data revealed the meaning that participants attached to
DV, its causes, effects, and their experiences of DV. In addition, this study garnered
participants’ opinions on preventive measures for DV. The codes, subthemes, and
themes answered the research questions. The result revealed that men are less likely
to experience DV; therefore, women empowerment, gender sensitization, and attainment
of gender equality can abolish DV