IJE Advance Access originally published online on October 24, 2008
International Journal of Epidemiology 2009 38(2):577-585; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn226
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Challenging assumptions about women's empowerment: social and economic resources and domestic violence among young married women in urban South India
1 Women's Global Health Imperative (WGHI), RTI International (Research Triangle Institute), San Francisco Office, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA.
2 Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA.
3 Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, Berkeley, CA 94720-7358, USA.
4 International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), Washington, DC 20036, USA.
5 Centre for Public Policy, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Bangalore 560076, India.
* Corresponding author. Women's Global Health Imperative, RTI International, 114 Sansome Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA. E-mail: crocca{at}rti.org
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Abstract |
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Background Although considerable research has documented the widespread prevalence of spousal violence in India, little is known about specific risk or protective factors. This study examines the relationships between factors that are often considered to be social and economic resources for women and recent occurrence of domestic violence.
Methods Data were collected from 744 young married women in slum areas of Bangalore, India. Unadjusted and adjusted multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine factors associated with having been hit, kicked or beaten by one's husband in the past 6 months.
Results Over half (56%) of the study participants reported having ever experienced physical domestic violence; about a quarter (27%) reported violence in the past 6 months. In a full multivariable model, women in ‘love’ marriages (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.1–2.5) and those whose families were asked for additional dowry after marriage (OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.5–3.4) were more likely to report domestic violence. Women who participated in social groups (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.0–2.4) and vocational training (OR = 3.1, 95% CI 1.7–5.8) were also at higher risk.
Conclusions Efforts to help women empower themselves through vocational training, employment opportunities and social groups need to consider the potential unintended consequences for these women, such as an increased risk of domestic violence. The study findings suggest that the effectiveness of anti-dowry laws may be limited without additional strategies that mobilize women, families and communities to challenge the widespread acceptance of dowry and to promote gender equity. Longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate the complex causal relationships between ‘love’ marriages and domestic violence.
Keywords Domestic violence, intimate partner violence, economic and social resources, gender, women's empowerment, India
Accepted 29 September 2008