Determinants and Consequences of Domestic Violence

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by investigator): Domestic violence represents the most pervasive form of violence to which women in developing countries are subjected. Despite increasing attention to this issue internationally over the last decade, understanding of the magnitude of domestic violence, its precipitating factors, and its consequences for women and their families in developing countries remains limited. Although anthropological evidence has suggested the importance of contextual and community-level factors in determining levels of domestic violence across cultures, quantitative research exploring the impact of such factors on the risk of violence to women remains limited. Domestic violence research in developing countries has also thus far focused almost exclusively upon women, with little understanding of the perspective of men-the principal aggressors. This study builds upon previous methodological and substantive work of the team of investigators to explore the determinants of domestic violence in North India, a setting characterized by low status of women and high levels of violence within marriage. Quantitative data for the study come from an existing data base survey of 6607 husbands, collected in five districts of Uttar Pradesh, India during 1995-96, and supplemented by district-level data on violent crime rates. Multi-level logit models will be employed to investigate the relative contributions of community and contextual factors (socioeconomic development, violent crime levels, and norms concerning gender roles) and household-level factors (socioeconomic status, women's status, family structure, and intergenerational exposure to violence) in explaining the risk of domestic violence in this setting. The study subsequently considers data from a matched sample of 4381 wives to explore the relationship between domestic violence and reproductive health outcomes. Using multivariate probit and multinomial logit models, we analyze the relationship between domestic violence and contraceptive adoption, contraceptive method choice, and pregnancy/live birth outcomes.