Navigating Muddy Waters and Protecting Yourself: Young People’s Narratives of Men’s Violence Against Women in Sweden

Eliminating men’s violence against women (MVAW) is one of the key steps to improve a country’s development, and Sweden could be considered a critical case for the study of these issues because it is currently considered one of the most gender equal in the world. Effective violence prevention among adolescents and young adults is a key strategy for reducing rates of MVAW. A qualitative study was conducted, and data were collected through 23 semi-structured interviews (12 women and 11 men) and 4 Focus Group Discussions (two per sex, n = 32). The results show that although young people recognize and reject the most explicit forms of MVAW, they also take an ambiguous stance when discussing controlling behavior and forms of sexual violence, such as that occurring within partner relationships or when the victims were using alcohol or drugs. Our participants recognized that experiencing MVAW is shameful, and this shame hindered their responses to it. Women who experienced MVAW discussed shame with their perceived inability to choose the right partner, thus transferring some of the responsibility for the MVAW they experienced to themselves. Fear of overreacting to MVAW and the perception that women are responsible for asking for help hampered our participants’ ability to intervene when witnessing MVAW. Implications for the development of policies are discussed.