The Relationship Between Witnessing Father’s Violence Against Mother and Patriarchal Beliefs: The Case of Turkish Men

This research aimed to investigate how men's experiences of witnessing their fathers’ violence toward their mothers are associated with their levels of patriarchal belief. The study sample comprised 361 Turkish men. The mean patriarchal belief score was 127.92 ± 45.95, and the mean score for witnessing fathers’ violence against mothers in childhood was 12.18 ± 3.40. Positive and significant relationships were found between patriarchal belief levels and witnessing paternal violence during childhood ( p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that exposure to domestic violence influences patriarchal attitudes and emphasize the importance of education, economic empowerment, and social awareness efforts to promote gender equality.