Hitting children when necessary is a good thing for a majority of Malagasy parents. Corporal punishment not a problem for parents, new poll finds
The survey conducted by the independent institute “Afrobarometer” reveals that more than 80% of parents in Madagascar consider that corporal punishment is justified. They are only 20% to say that you should not hit your child. Whipping or spanking is more common in the countryside than in the city, and the lower you go down the social scale, the more you consider hitting your child to be normal.
The other lesson of this survey conducted on a sample of 1,200 people is that mums are even more motivated than dads to discipline their children in this way: 85% share the opinion that corporal punishment is justified. But the same respondents say they don’t practice it very much. Paradoxically, the majority say they approve of the government’s policy in protecting and promoting the well-being of children… Go figure.
The paradoxes are not lacking in this sociological investigation, on another subject: the employment of women. A majority of Malagasy people of both sexes find it normal that priority in employment is given to men; and at the same time overwhelmingly endorses the official policy in favor of women’s employment.