BEYOND THE “MEN NA SCUM” DISCOURSE: INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AND WOMEN’S SOCIAL PERCEPTION OF MEN IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive public health and social challenge in Nigeria, yet empirical attention to its association with women’s social perception of men remains limited. Guided by hegemonic masculinity theory and labelling theory, this study examined the link between exposure to IPV and women’s social perception of men in Kwara State, Nigeria. The study adopts a cross-sectional survey design, and data were collected from 1,075 women aged 15–49. IPV was measured using an adapted version of the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale 2 (Cronbach’s α=798), and social perception of men (Cronbach’s α=.853) was assessed using an adapted version of Keyes’ Social Acceptance subscale. Both descriptive statistics and simple linear regression were employed for analysis. Findings indicated a substantial burden of IPV: 36.3% of respondents reported physical IPV, 34.9% psychological IPV, and 32.0% sexual IPV. Regression analysis showed that IPV experience was significantly associated with negative social perception of men (B = −1.720, β = −.372, R² = .138, SE = 0.131, t = −13.123, p < .001, 95% CI [−1.977, −1.463]). This finding revealed that IPV exposure was associated with
a negative social perception of men as a social group. The findings of this study suggest that the “men na scum” discourse should not be understood solely as a social media phenomenon or an expression of online feminist activism. Rather, the significant association between intimate partner violence and women's negative social perceptions of men indicates that the sentiments reflected in the discourse are grounded in lived experiences of IPV and unequal gender relations. Recommendations highlight the need for survivor-centred interventions, community-based prevention programmes, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to address the normalisation of violence and foster healthy gender relations.