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About the IMAGES Survey

The International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES) is a global effort to create actionable evidence that guides actors at all levels to successfully and sustainably engage men and boys in achieving gender equality. Co-created with the International Center for Research on Women in 2008, IMAGES has inspired similar surveys or been conducted already in over 40 countries to date.

In 2019, Equimundo and our partners at CEGIE-UPB (Centro de Generación de Información y Estadísticas – Universidad Privada Boliviana) conducted the country’s first ever IMAGES Survey. Additionally, together with partners Acción por los Derechos Humanos, Promundo-US also conducted a follow-up qualitative study that deepens our understanding around some of the key findings while narrowing in on issues of gender and masculinities in three of Bolivia’s indigenous communities: the Aymara, Quechua and Guarayo. Both pieces of research sought to build the evidence base on the gendered realities of daily life in Bolivia and clarify their connections to masculinities, gendered attitudes, and the norms that uphold inequalities.

Results from the IMAGES Bolivia survey and qualitative study were launched virtually in March of 2022, and followed by a series of evidence-to-action workshops aimed at kickstarting their translation into programmatic initiatives and policy advocacy.

 

Why a survey on gender and masculinities in Bolivia?

Compared to other Latin American countries, Bolivia ranks poorly in key indicators on violence against women and children, as well as men’s participation in unpaid care work. Prior research indicates that, in Bolivia:

  • 53% of Bolivian women ages 15-49 have suffered physical or sexual intimate partner violence (WHO, 2018)
  • Women spend 4X more time on unpaid work than men (World Bank, 2015)
  • 21% of women ages 15+ have suffered physical intimate partner violence in the last year (GiZ & INE, 2016)
  • 4 out of 5 women & 3 out of 4 men use harsh corporal punishment against children (ENDSA, 2008)

While these issues are all rooted in inequitable gender norms, they are seldom examined using a gender-transformative lens or with the understanding that engaging men is the key to change. The IMAGES Survey helps shed light on just that.

 

How was the survey conducted?

The sample was drawn using proportional to population sampling (PPS) and is nationally and regionally representative. It includes 1,779 Bolivian men and women ages 18-59 from the full Bolivian territory.

The survey tool was developed in consultation with an advisory team of experts, translated into Spanish and back-translated for accuracy, and field tested with a group of respondents before widespread fielding.

Fieldwork was completed between April and May of 2019 by a team of interviewers who underwent a 10-day hands-on training complete with practical instruction on ethical conduct in research.

Data analysis relied on sex disaggregated bivariate and multivariate regression models to identify links between experiences, attitudes, and practices and expose the complexity of gendered realities in Bolivia. All data is weighted.

Ethics approval was granted by the Institutional Review Board at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW).

 

What key questions does the IMAGES Bolivia Survey explore?

The survey sought answers to some of the most pressing questions about gendered attitudes and realities in Bolivia. For example:

  • What are the most prevalent opinions about gender equality? How do Bolivians define masculinities? What gender roles do they defend or challenge?
  • What are men’s views and practices regarding fatherhood and domestic work? What were your their models like growing up? And what do women think of men’s current participation in and contribution to domestic life?
  • What are the popular opinions and social norms around the use of violence in relationships? Are there opinions reflective of reality at home? And what drives the use of violent and coercive practices, particularly against women?

 

So what does the IMAGES Survey tell us about the state of gender equality in Bolivia?

Themes

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Gender Roles and Relations

IMAGES Bolivia Results