A survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare has found that 18-to-19-year-olds are more tolerant toward gender-based violence.

Those aged 56 to 64, 65 and over, and 18 to 19 showed higher levels of tolerance and rationalization toward gender-based violence, the ministry said, adding that the three age groups were also more approving of the use of violence by males to control females.

The survey found that age, education level, occupation, income and marital status were variables that affected people’s attitude toward violence against women.

For example, elderly people, people with lower education and people whose monthly income is less than NT$20,000 were generally more tolerant of such violence.

The purpose of the survey was to understand the public’s attitude toward violence against women, the ministry said.

The survey, the first of its kind by the ministry, targeted people over 18 and conducted telephone interviews with 1,700 people, the ministry added.

Ministry officials said that they are most concerned about the 18-to-19 age group, adding that there was a statistical difference between the average score of the 18-to-19 age group and the sample average.

Expressing tolerance toward violence against women at such a young age reveals hidden problems with Taiwan’s gender education, the officials added.

Department of Protective Services Deputy Director Lin Wei-yan (林維言) said that his initial hunch is that 18-to-19-year-olds have recently come of age and might still be naive or video games might have numbed them toward violence.

Wang Pei-ling (王珮玲), who was responsible for the survey, said she was surprised by the results.

Taiwan has been providing gender equality education for more than 10 years, Wang said.

Logically, the younger a person, the higher their sensitivity should be toward the issue, said Wang, a professor of social policy and social work at National Chi Nan University.

In-depth interviews and an investigation are necessary, Wang added.

Young people might have just graduated from high school and the [survey results] might be caused by a lack of maturity in their experiences with the opposite sex, said Pan Shu-man (潘淑滿), a professor at National Taiwan Normal University’s Graduate Institute of Social Work.

Pan, who has studied intimate partner violence for many years, also said that the education system has neglected verbal violence and should pay more attention to the issue.

In Taiwan, there is a 24 percent lifetime prevalence of violence against women over the age of 18 by intimate partners, according to a study commissioned by the ministry and published last year.

Gender-based violence in whatever shape or form should not be allowed, Lin said, adding that gender violence must be prevented from the root.

Further discussion is needed and that only inferences have been made at the moment, Lin said of the latest survey.

Ministry officials have said that the ministry is looking for ways to prevent gender-based violence.

[Taipei Times, 2018-01-15]