Men, Gender Equality and Gender Relations in Mali: Findings from the International Men and Gender Equality Survey

Care Mali and Promundo have launched a research study on men, gender equality and gender relations in Mali, in collaboration with UN Women and the National Institute for Statistics (INSTAT). This report provides a summary of key findings using the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES), a comprehensive household questionnaire on men’s attitudes and practices – along with women’s opinions and reports of men’s practices- on a wide variety of topics related to gender equality.  This research represents an effort to increase understanding about masculinity and gender in Mali. It also hopes that the data and analysis generated will add value to efforts by the Government of Mali and other development actors aiming to promote the rights and empowerment of women and girls. The survey was conducted in urban areas of the national capital Bamako as well as urban and rural areas of Mopti and Segou Regions, located in the south-west. A sample of 1,000 men and 500 women participated in interviewer-administered questionnaires, with men interviewing men and women interviewing women.

The report highlights some of the survey's key findings on the attitudes, beliefs and practices that act as barriers to gender equity in Mali:  

– 86% of men and 62% women surveyed believe that gender equality is an imported concept;

– 63% of men and 41.3% of women interviewed agreed with the statement "There are times when a woman deserves to be beaten"; 

– 41% of female respondents reported having experienced physical violence during their lifetime, while 34.9% of male respondents reported having used physical violence against a female partner during their lifetime;

– Men and women both reported witnessing violence by a man against their mother during their childhood;

– Childhood exposure to violence was found to be the factor most strongly associated with women’s adult experience of Inter-Partner Violence (IPV), as well as with men’s practice of IPV is adult relationships.