Problem: Several studies have detected a high prevalence of dating violence, especially among university students. In addition, differences have been recorded in its reception, exercise and perception depending on the gender of the participants. This phenomenon damages the health of young people and violates the human rights and dignity of the victims.

Objective(s): To characterize the reception, exercise, and perception of violence against women according to the gender of university students of the Faculty of Chemistry-Pharmacy of the Central University "Marta Abreu" of Las Villas.

Methodology: The research had a sequential explanatory design. In the quantitative stage, the revised Cuban version of the questionnaire Violence Received, Exercised and Perceived was used, and in the qualitative stage, a semi-structured interview was used.

Results and discussion: The perception of dating violence differed significantly between men and women, despite the fact that the reported prevalence of receiving and exercising violence is relatively low in both groups. Men do not perceive violence in certain behaviors within dating relationships and mostly consider jealousy as a sign of affection. They declared, to have been victims of violence more frequently than women.

Conclusions: That males occupy the place of victims and not victimizers discredits their masculinity, which added to the emphasis on women as victims of violence, does not give space for there to be social recognition towards the violence suffered by men who would face social discrimination by publicly recognizing themselves as victims of violence.