Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: A Study on the Beliefs of Trainee Teachers in Spain and Latin America

OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this study is to analyse the acceptance of distorted beliefs about gender roles and violence against women in a sample of future teachers from Spain and Latin America. METHOD: The methodology used has been quantitative, and the design is cross-sectional. The sampling was intentional and not probabilistic. The sample is composed of 2395 trainee teachers who studied at universities and higher education centers from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Spain, and Mexico. Information was collected through a structured questionnaire that included the Inventory of Distorted Thoughts about Women and the Use of Violence-Revised (Echeburúa et al., 2016). The analysis used (chi-square, Student T, and ANOVA) made it possible to evaluate the influence of sex and country. RESULTS: The results show statistically significant differences among countries in the acceptance of distorted beliefs. Men, compared to women, tend to present more cognitive distortions about gender roles and intimate partner violence against women. CONCLUSION: The education system is one of the main socialising agents, so teacher training in equality is essential to eliminate gender biases and contribute to the promotion of a society free of violence against women.