Young Finnish men show a more permissive view on violence against women than older men, at least according to the survey published by the Finnish Women's Organizations in cooperation (Nytkis) on Tuesday.
One in four respondents in the age group 18-34 agrees at least partially with the statement "women can have deserved to be subjected to violence through their clothing, behavior, or appearance". Among all Finnish men, the figure is one in five, reports Yle.
"We're going backwards"
22 percent of men in the age group 18-24 believe that violence can be necessary to earn a woman's respect. Among men over 65 years old, only 6 percent agree with the statement.
I'm horrified to read the results, but I can't say I'm very surprised, says Anita Westerholm, chairwoman of the Swedish Women's Association, to Hufvudstadsbladet.
The results shatter the image that we're constantly moving forward towards a more tolerant, equal, and better society. The report shows that it's been an illusion, says Tuija Saresma, professor of cultural research at the University of Eastern Finland, to the newspaper.
But the picture is not unambiguous. 90 percent of all men in the survey believe that violence against women is always wrong.
60 percent of the men believe that Finland has achieved equality, and around half of all respondents believed that movements like #metoo restrict men's rights.
Orpo: No justification
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo comments on the report on Instagram and writes that "there is no justification for violence".
The entire society must work to change these distorted and dangerous attitudes and eradicate violence against women", he continues and concludes: "Men must take responsibility".
Finland is, according to the news agency AFP, one of the most insecure countries for women in the EU. Statistics show that half of all women between 16 and 25 years old have been subjected to physical or sexual violence, or threatened with it.
1,058 men in the age group 18-79 responded to the survey, which was conducted during the summer.
