WTF: 16% Of Americans Still Think It's OK For Men To Hit Their Wives

We're fairly certain that domestic violence and abuse would no longer be tolerated in any capacity, but it turns out there's still a decent-sized chunk of modern America that deems it acceptable.

According to a report called "Progress of the World's Women," "In the USA, 16 percent of women and men agree that it's sometimes justifiable for a man to beat his wife."

Ummm ... that's horrifying.

The article on this widespread study goes on to say, "Prevalence surveys in the USA show that 22 percent of women have experienced physical violence, and 8 percent have been targeted for sexual violence in their lifetimes."

Domestic violence wasn't the only touchy topic highlighted on the report. A few others stood out, as well:

1. Native American women are more than twice as likely as any other race of women to be raped. The problem has to do with jurisdiction. If a non-Native American rapes a woman on a reservation, odds are high that the crime will go unpunished. Law enforcement often doesn't know exactly where their power lies. 

2. The pay gap between men and women is still huge. Men make, on average, 23 percent more than women in the U.S. for the same services performed. It's even worse for Latinas and black women, though — they make 39 and 48 percent less than white men, respectively.

3. Maternity leave is rough on the bank account. The U.S. is one of the only developed nations across the globe that doesn't require a paid maternity leave (maternity leave, yes; paid, no) or require paternity leave, period. The study says, "The USA is one of only a few developed countries that don't oblige employers to offer paternity leave, which is proven to help encourage a more equitable division of childcare responsibilities."

That being said, there's still plenty of good news for women's progress. Over the past nearly decade and a half, females in Congress have risen to almost 20 percent. The Violence Against Women Act has also dramatically reduced non-fatal violence between partners, down by 48 percent.

But it seems with these numbers, women still have a long way to go.