evidence: Nearly half of Indian husbands abuse their wives either physically or sexually - this is the alarming conclusion of a US study conducted recently in northern India. [...] "This is because men have taken advantage of Hinduism and our rigid social customs to keep women down," she said. "Women in India are made to feel they're inferior to men. Many women even feel it's a man's right to beat women." Ms Saravanan disagreed with the survey finding that violence against women is more prevalent in rural areas and in lower-income groups. She said abuse of women is a phenomenon which cuts across all castes and classes in Indian society.