Studies of intimate partner violence mostly portray men as abusers and women as victims. Little academic attention is paid to men who are abused by their female partners. Even less effort is made to understand how men’s experiences of intimate partner violence affect the way they see their masculinity, and how they respond to female abuse.
Gender-based violence is a serious problem in South Africa, where an estimated 25% to 40% of women face sexual or physical violence from a partner. A lot of this violence against women is linked to toxic masculinity – harmful ideas about what it means to be a “real man”, including being tough, aggressive or in control.
