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Women's and Men's Relative Status and Intimate Partner Violence in India

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  • Abigail Weitzman

Abstract

type="main"> In recent years, gender-based violence in South Asia has been of great concern to scholars and policymakers alike. This study explores the effects of women's relative resources on several dimensions of intimate partner violence in India, and tests whether economic resources allow women to “bargain” for less violence, or exacerbate the violence they face. To explore both possibilities, I use data from the 2005–06 Indian National Family Health Survey. The findings indicate that women with relatively higher education, employment, or earnings status than their spouse face more frequent and severe violence than women with lower status. Together, these findings suggest that women's superior material power bases threaten patriarchal norms and are responded to with the use of violence.

Suggested Citation

  • Abigail Weitzman, 2014. "Women's and Men's Relative Status and Intimate Partner Violence in India," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 40(1), pages 55-75, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:popdev:v:40:y:2014:i:1:p:55-75
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2014.00650.x
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    2. Pesando, Luca Maria & De Cao, Elisabetta & La Mattina, Giulia & Ciancio, Alberto, 2024. "Status (in)consistency in education and violent parenting practices towards children," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 351(C).
    3. Lentz, Erin C., 2018. "Complicating narratives of women’s food and nutrition insecurity: Domestic violence in rural Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 271-280.
    4. Punarjit Roychowdhury & Gaurav Dhamija, 2022. "Don't cross the line: Bounding the causal effect of hypergamy violation on domestic violence in India," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 185(4), pages 1952-1978, October.
    5. Raj, Anita & Silverman, Jay G. & Klugman, Jeni & Saggurti, Niranjan & Donta, Balaiah & Shakya, Holly B., 2018. "Longitudinal analysis of the impact of economic empowerment on risk for intimate partner violence among married women in rural Maharashtra, India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 197-203.

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