More than individual factors; is there any contextual effect of unemployment, poverty and literacy on the domestic spousal violence against women? A multilevel analysis on Indian context

Abstract

Purpose: Despite successful enactment of Domestic Violence act, 2005 in India to protect Indian women from any kind of domestic violation offence, the decline trend of prevalence of spousal violence against women still remains low. The study aims to explain the factors associated with spousal violence against women through a multilevel modeling framework.

Method: We used multilevel logistic regression model, basically here we carried out two-level random intercept model where the data base is used from National Family Health survey 2015-16 data for the fulfillment of our study objectives. A total 34,921 women, who were selected for 2015-16 domestic violence modules by NFHS, were included in this present study.

Results: Result of multilevel logistic regression model showed that women who were belonged to poorest economic background, lived in rural areas, had low level of education or no education were at more risk in experiencing violence from their husband. Factors as large family size with more children in a household have a significant positive association with the prevalence of spousal violence against women. In case of higher level contextual variables unemployment, poverty has a crucial effect for upbringing spousal violence where higher literacy rate of a region has a strength that can reduce the probability of violence against women.

Conclusions: The Govt. promptness as a collective responsibility to enhance educational facilities for men and women, create employment opportunities and take policies for overall economic and societal development, these may change the individual perception of a person to cause the spousal violence against women.

Keywords: Literacy; Multilevel; NFHS; Poverty; Spousal violence; Unemployment; Women.