Beliefs Supporting Positive Attitudes Toward Corporal Punishment in Ecuadorian Middle-Class Households

Corporal punishment (CP) is a widely extended practice within Ecuadorian households. However, there is international pressure to ban it, CP is not considered a topic of relevance either for researchers nor public policy, and there is a lack of information about this phenomenon, its causes, and effects in this specific context. That is why this research aims to identify common beliefs supporting CP usage inside homes since beliefs have been found to shape individual behavior at the same time they are socially and culturally produced. Concerning CP, beliefs have a relevant paper determining favorable attitudes for its usage in childrearing. Understanding beliefs could give some clues to designing culturally appropriate means to eradicate this practice. For this research, in-depth interviews were conducted with 24 middle-class, college-educated adults between 20 and 59 years of age residing in the urban areas of Guayaquil and Puyo. It is a qualitative research of grounded theory with axial coding. Data analysis was made through open coding and focused coding methods. As a result, four common beliefs supporting CP were identified: (a) CP is "fair" violence because its goal is to raise good citizens; (b) it is possible to distinguish between "fair" CP and children abuse; (c) children, not parents, are responsible for receiving CP because of their misbehavior and; and (d) CP is traditional childrearing means proved through generations. In conclusion, CP in the Ecuadorian middle-class society plays an essential social role because it is a means for cultural transmission. Also, the lack of a definite ban on CP makes it difficult to change beliefs endorsing CP. Based on our findings, we suggest that public policy related to the CP ban should focus on changing beliefs through educative, not punitive, initiatives.