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Khatir AG, Ge T, Ariyo T, Jiang Q. Armed conflicts and experience of intimate partner violence among women in Afghanistan: analysis of the 2015 Afghanistan DHS data. BMJ Open 2024; 14:e075957. [PMID: 38582531 PMCID: PMC11002416 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-075957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Armed conflicts and intimate partner violence (IPV) impose a burden on individual and societal well-being. Given the history of armed conflict in Afghanistan and the high prevalence of IPV, this study aims to examine the influence of armed conflicts on IPV among Afghan women. METHODS Multilevel logistic regression models were applied to the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey (N=10 414 women aged 15-49). Armed conflict severity was measured using the conflict index issued by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, IPV was measured by three types of violence, including emotional, physical and sexual violence. All analyses were conducted by using STATA V.15.1. RESULTS Over 52% of women experienced at least one type of IPV, with 33.01%, 49.07%, and 8.99% experiencing emotional, physical, and sexual violence, respectively. The regression results show that armed conflicts were significantly and positively associated with the experience of all types of IPV. In addition, the association between armed conflicts and the experience of emotional IPV was positively moderated by women's attitudes towards IPV. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that women living in high-conflict regions were more prone to experience IPV, particularly women with positive attitudes towards IPV. Promoting progressive gender roles, women's empowerment, awareness of IPV and inclusion of women in conflict resolution will help deal with the issue of IPV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdul Ghani Khatir
- School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Tingshuai Ge
- School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Tolulope Ariyo
- School of Health Management, Shangluo University, Shangluo, Shaanxi, China
| | - Quanbao Jiang
- School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
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Underwood CR, Casella A, Hendrickson ZM. Gender norms, contraceptive use, and intimate partner violence: A six-country analysis. SEXUAL & REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE 2023; 35:100815. [PMID: 36738730 DOI: 10.1016/j.srhc.2023.100815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While considerable research has explored associations between gender norms and various sexual and reproductive health behaviors (SRH) with the aim of informing programs, no studies have examined whether couple concordance on specific gender norms is associated with both contraceptive use and reduced intimate partner violence (IPV) experience. METHODS This study relies on analysis of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) couples' datasets from Mali, Nigeria, Nepal, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Zambia that were collected in/after 2015 and include the DHS Domestic Violence Module for female respondents. To examine the associations between couple concordance regarding household decision-making or justification of violence (wife beating) and women's use of modern contraceptives or experience of violence, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were fit using Stata15. RESULTS Joint decision-making about large household purchases was significantly positively associated with modern contraceptive use in all study countries as well as with reduced odds of IPV experience in adjusted models in Tanzania and Zambia. In Nigeria, women's justification for violence was negatively associated with contraceptive use. Across settings, women in couples where both justified violence had significantly increased odds of reporting IPV experience. CONCLUSIONS The evidence suggests that family planning programs should support joint decision-making as it was positively associated with contraceptive use across the six countries and is a proxy for shared economic power within the household. IPV reduction and prevention programs should also consider encouraging joint decision-making given the correlations found in two settings. Programs should enable participants to interrogate attitudes regarding justifying violence against female partners and propose approaches to avoid IPV. Finally, husbands' alcohol consumption, a strong predictor of IPV experience, has too long been overlooked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol R Underwood
- Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Health, Behavior & Society, USA; Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, USA.
| | | | - Zoé Mistrale Hendrickson
- Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Health, Behavior & Society, USA; Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, USA
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Shakya HB, Cislaghi B, Fleming P, Levtov RG, Boyce SC, Raj A, Silverman JG. Associations of attitudes and social norms with experiences of intimate partner violence among married adolescents and their husbands in rural Niger: a dyadic cross-sectional study. BMC Womens Health 2022; 22:180. [PMID: 35585589 PMCID: PMC9118706 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-022-01724-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prior cross-sectional research suggests that both men’s and women’s attitudes towards intimate partner violence (IPV) are predictive of women’s IPV experience, although this can vary greatly by context. In general, women who have experienced IPV are likely to report attitudes accepting of it. Men who perpetrate IPV may also report attitudes accepting of it, although some research has found that there is not always an association. Studies that investigate these dynamics often conflate attitudes with social norms, or use attitudes as a proxy for social norms, given that valid measures on social norms are usually lacking. Here we conduct a secondary data analysis to ask how are men’s and women’s IPV-related attitudes associated with women’s reports of IPV and how are men’s and women’s perceived social norms associated with women’s reports of IPV. Methods Dyadic data were collected from a representative sample of married adolescent girls and their husbands in 48 rural villages of the Dosso region of Niger (N = 1010). Assessments included logistic regression analyses of husbands’ and wives’ reports of individual attitudes towards IPV, and social norms based on husbands’ and wives’ perceptions of their communities’ beliefs related to gender roles and acceptability of IPV. Results Eight percent of women in this sample reported IPV. We found that, consistent with other research, wives who have reported IPV are more likely to report attitudes in support of IPV, while for husbands whose wives report IPV, that relationship is insignificant. On the other hand, husbands who report that people in their community believe there are times when a woman deserves to be beaten are more likely to have perpetrated IPV, while for wives there is no association between the community norm and IPV reporting. Finally, wives who report that people in their community hold inequitable gender norms in general are more likely to have experienced IPV, while for husbands, community gender norms are not predictive of whether their wives have reported IPV. Conclusions Our results are evidence that IPV prevention interventions focused solely on individual attitudes may be insufficient. Targeting and assessment of social norms are likely critical to advancing understanding and prevention of IPV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Baker Shakya
- Center On Gender Equity and Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9100 Gilman Dr., San Diego, CA, USA.
| | - Beniamino Cislaghi
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Room, 330 LSHTM 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, UK
| | - Paul Fleming
- Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, 3814 SPH I, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2029, USA
| | | | - Sabrina C Boyce
- Center On Gender Equity and Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9100 Gilman Dr., San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Anita Raj
- Center On Gender Equity and Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9100 Gilman Dr., San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jay G Silverman
- Center On Gender Equity and Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9100 Gilman Dr., San Diego, CA, USA
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Gram L, Chakraborty P, Daruwalla N, Osrin D. Social and Psychological Readiness to Take Collective Action Against Violence Against Women: A Mixed Methods Study of Informal Settlements in Mumbai, India. Violence Against Women 2021; 27:3176-3196. [PMID: 33227227 PMCID: PMC8521371 DOI: 10.1177/1077801220971360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Past failures to mobilize communities in collective action against violence against women (VAW) have been ascribed to contextual challenges, but researchers have not systematically mapped community capacity for collective action against VAW. We conducted a mixed methods study in Mumbai, India using quantitative data from a household survey (n = 2,642) and qualitative data from 264 community meetings. We found attitudes supporting gender inequality and violence coexisted with significant enthusiasm and support for collective action against VAW. These findings open up avenues for policymakers to treat communities as less vulnerable and more capable of changing situations and problems that affect them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Gram
- University College London, UK
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McDougal L, Krumholz S, Bhan N, Bharadwaj P, Raj A. Releasing the Tide: How Has a Shock to the Acceptability of Gender-Based Sexual Violence Affected Rape Reporting to Police in India? JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2021; 36:NP5921-NP5943. [PMID: 30442046 DOI: 10.1177/0886260518811421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
National household data suggest that more than four million women in India have experienced nonspousal rape. Fewer than 1.5% of victims of sexual violence in India report their assaults to police, though there is some indication of increased rape reporting to police following a very high-profile fatal gang rape in Delhi in December 2012. This study examines effects of the Delhi gang rape on rape reporting to police in India, and assesses the roles played by geography, media access, and women's status and protection factors in that reporting. Triangulated data from Indian crime, census, and police bureau records were used to assess trends in rape reporting to police at national and district levels from 2005 to 2016, using regressions, spatial mapping, and graphical trend analyses. Nationally, there was a 33% increase in annual rapes reported to police after 2012. Subnationally, there was substantial variation in trends; these district-level changes were particularly affected by distance from Delhi (0.2 fewer rapes reported to police/100,000 women for each 100 km from Delhi), literacy sex ratio (0.6 more rapes for every increase of 0.1 in male: female literacy ratio), and the presence of a women's police station (1.0 fewer rapes reported to police/100,000 women relative to districts with no women's police station). The 2012 Delhi gang rape significantly affected rape reporting to police in India, with greater increases seen closer to Delhi and in districts with compromised gender equity. Further work to support the rights and safety of women is needed, including bolstering an enabling environment for reporting, legal protections, and responsive criminal justice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nandita Bhan
- Center on Gender Equity and Health, Delhi, India
| | | | - Anita Raj
- University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
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Cislaghi B, Denny EK, Cissé M, Gueye P, Shrestha B, Shrestha PN, Ferguson G, Hughes C, Clark CJ. Changing Social Norms: the Importance of "Organized Diffusion" for Scaling Up Community Health Promotion and Women Empowerment Interventions. PREVENTION SCIENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION RESEARCH 2020; 20:936-946. [PMID: 30747395 PMCID: PMC6647388 DOI: 10.1007/s11121-019-00998-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Some harmful practices are sustained by social norms-collective beliefs about what people expect from each other. Practitioners and researchers alike have been investigating the potential of social norms theory to inform the design of effective interventions addressing these practices in low- and middle-income countries. One approach commonly used to facilitate social norms change is community-based dialogs and trainings. This approach has often been criticized for not being cost-effective, as it usually includes a relatively small number of direct participants and does not allow for scaling-up strategies. In spite of some evidence (as for instance, the SASA! Program) that community dialogs can achieve social norms change, little exists in the literature about how exactly participants in community dialogs engage others in their networks to achieve change. In this paper, we look at the potential of "organized diffusion" as a cost-effective strategy to expand the positive effects of community-based interventions to participants' networks, achieving sustainable normative shifts. We provide quantitative evidence from three case studies-Community Empowerment Program in Mali, Change Starts at Home in Nepal, and Voices for Change in Nigeria-showing that participants in community-based interventions can be effectively empowered to share their new knowledge and understandings systematically with others in their networks, eventually facilitating social norms change. Future community-based interventions intending to achieve social norms change would benefit from integrating ways to help participants engage others in their network in transformative conversations. Doing so has the potential to generate additional impact with little additional investment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beniamino Cislaghi
- Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, UK.
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Stieglitz J, Trumble BC, Kaplan H, Gurven M. Marital violence and fertility in a relatively egalitarian high-fertility population. Nat Hum Behav 2019; 2:565-572. [PMID: 31058232 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-018-0391-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Stieglitz
- Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, Toulouse, France. .,Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse, France.
| | - Benjamin C Trumble
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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Omaleki V, Reed E. The role of gender in health outcomes among women in Central Asia: a narrative review of the literature. WOMENS STUDIES INTERNATIONAL FORUM 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.wsif.2018.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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Benavides M, León J, Etesse M, Espezúa L, Stuart J. Exploring the association between segregation and physical intimate partner violence in Lima, Peru: The mediating role of gender norms and social capital. SSM Popul Health 2018; 7:100338. [PMID: 30623012 PMCID: PMC6308259 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2018.100338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been globally recognized as a major public health problem. A growing body of evidence has identified a significant relationship between living in a neighborhood of concentrated disadvantage and experiencing IPV. Considering the increasing rates of poverty and segregation registered in Latin American cities, research on the effects of segregation on IPV seems to be particularly necessary in the region. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the impact of economic residential segregation on physical IPV, exploring the mediating roles of social capital and gender norms unfavorable to women. This study used an original dataset in which women from five districts of Metropolitan Lima were interviewed. The results show that residential segregation indirectly influences on physical IPV through the considered mechanisms. In this regard, it was found that segregation increases the likelihood of prevailing gender norms unfavorable to women, and this in turn increases the likelihood of IPV. At the same time, segregation fosters the development of greater social ties among the neighbors, which in turn diminish the levels of IPV. Regarding the overall effect of segregation through both mechanisms, on average social capital is a factor of more relevance. The findings suggest that strengthening the informal networks among neighbors is a powerful strategy to reduce physical IPV in contexts of poverty and segregation. Residential segregation have an impact on physical IPV, buy only indirectly. Contexts of segregation foster both the development of greater social ties among neighbors and the development of gender norms unfavorable to women. A greater intensity of neighborhood relations diminishes the likelihood of IPV. Gender norms that promote male control over women increases women’s risk of becoming victims of IPV. The overall effect of segregation shows that having support from the neighbors is a more relevant factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martín Benavides
- Department of Social Sciences. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP), Lima, Perú. Senior Rechercher. Grupo de Analisis Para el Desarrollo (GRADE)
| | - Juan León
- Senior Rechercher. Grupo de Analisis Para el Desarrollo (GRADE). Lecturer, Universidad San Martín de Porres, Lima, Perú
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Shakya HB, Perkins JM, Traeger M, Tsai AC, Bangsberg DR, Kakuhikire B, Christakis NA. Social network correlates of IPV acceptance in rural Honduras and rural Uganda. SSM Popul Health 2018; 4:236-243. [PMID: 29854907 PMCID: PMC5976860 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2018.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the household-level social network correlates of acceptance of intimate partner violence (IPV) in rural, agrarian settings of Honduras and Uganda, two low-income countries with unequal access to resources based upon gender. We collected complete social network data in each location (Honduras in 2014 and Uganda in 2012), across a diverse range of relationships, and then created a measure of household cohesion by calculating the degree to which members of a household nominated each other as important social connections. Our measure of IPV acceptance was based on 4 questions from the Demographic Health Survey to assess the conditions under which a person believes that it is acceptable for a man to perpetrate physical violence against his wife or partner and we coded a person as positive on IPV acceptance if they answered positively to any of the four questions. We used logistic regression to calculate the odds that an individual accepted IPV given (1) household level cohesion and (2) the proportion of the household that accepts IPV. We found individuals from more cohesive households were less likely to accept IPV controlling for the overall level of IPV acceptance in the household. Nevertheless, those in households more accepting of IPV were more likely to personally accept IPV. In stratified analyses, when household IPV acceptance was especially high, the benefit of household cohesion with respect to IPV was attenuated. The design and implementation of interventions to prevent IPV should consider household structure and norms rather than focusing only on individuals or couples. Attitudes towards intimate partner violence are associated with its perpetration. Social cohesion has been shown to be protective against violence. We look at household cohesion and violence acceptance in Honduras and Uganda. Those within socially cohesive household are less likely to accept partner violence. This finding depends on the level of violence acceptance within the household.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly B Shakya
- Center on Gender Equity and Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Jessica M Perkins
- Department of Human and Organizational Development Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, PMB 90, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203, United States
| | - Margaret Traeger
- Department of Sociology, Yale Institute for Network Science, P.O. Box 208263, New Haven, CT 06520-8263, United States
| | - Alexander C Tsai
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, 9 Bow St, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
| | - David R Bangsberg
- School of Public Health, Oregon Health and Science University and Portland State University, MC: GH230 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR 97239, United States
| | | | - Nicholas A Christakis
- Department of Sociology, Yale Institute for Network Science, P.O. Box 208263, New Haven, CT 06520-8263, United States
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Raj A, Silverman JG, Klugman J, Saggurti N, Donta B, Shakya HB. Longitudinal analysis of the impact of economic empowerment on risk for intimate partner violence among married women in rural Maharashtra, India. Soc Sci Med 2017; 196:197-203. [PMID: 29197753 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.11.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Revised: 11/19/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess via longitudinal analysis whether women's economic empowerment and financial inclusion predicts incident IPV. This prospective study involved analysis of three waves of survey data collected from rural young married women (n = 853 women) in Maharashtra at baseline and 9&18 month follow-ups. This study, which was in the field from 2012 to 2014, was conducted as part of a larger family planning evaluation study unrelated to economic empowerment. Participants were surveyed on economic empowerment, as measured by items on women's income generation and joint decision-making of husband's income, and financial inclusion, as measured by bank account ownership. Women's land ownership and participation in microloan programs were also assessed but were too rare (2-3% reporting) to be included in analyses. Longitudinal regression models assessed whether women's economic empowerment predicted incident IPV at follow-up. At Wave 1 (baseline), one in ten women reported IPV in the past six months; 23% reported income generation; 58% reported having their own money; 61% reported joint control over husband's money, and 10% reported bank ownership. Women's income generation and having their own money did not predict IPV over time. However, women maintaining joint control over their husband's income were at a 60% reduced risk for subsequent incident IPV (AOR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.18, 0.90), and women gaining joint control over time were at a 70% reduced risk for subsequent incident IPV (AOR = 0.30; 95% CI = 0.13, 0.72), relative to women whose husbands maintained sole control over his income. Women who initiated a new bank account by Wave 3 also had a 56% reduced likelihood of reporting incident IPV in this same wave (AOR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.22, 0.93), relative to those who maintained no bank account at Waves 1 and 3. These findings suggest that women's joint control over husband's income and her financial inclusion as indicated by bank ownership appear to reduce risk for IPV, whereas her income generation or control over her own income do not. Awareness of and participation in financial inclusion services may help reduce women's risk for IPV in rural India and elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Raj
- Center on Gender Equity and Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, USA.
| | - Jay G Silverman
- Center on Gender Equity and Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, USA
| | - Jeni Klugman
- Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Balaiah Donta
- National Institute for Research on Reproductive Health, Mumbai, India
| | - Holly B Shakya
- Center on Gender Equity and Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, USA
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