Violence against Pregnant Women in Indonesia

Abstract

Background: Generally, violence against women, especially during pregnancy, can increase the risk of pregnancy and childbirth complications. Besides, multiple trauma may occur because it affects not only the woman but also the fetus. The present study analyzed the factors associated with violence against pregnant women in Indonesia.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved participants consisted of 2,553 pregnant women (aged 15-49) from the 2017 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey data. The dependent variable was violence, while the independent variables included the characteristics of the households, respondents, and husbands/partners. In the final stage, the author calculated determinants using binary logistic regression.

Results: The higher the wealth status of pregnant women, the lower the likelihood of domestic violence. The pregnant women who jointly owned a house with their husbands/partners were more likely to be violated than those who did not. Pregnant women in the high parity category were at greater risk of experiencing violence than those in the primiparous category. A husband/partner at a younger age increased the likelihood of violence among pregnant women. Finally, the pregnant women whose husbands/partners had primary/secondary education were more likely to experience violence than those whose husbands/partners had no education.

Conclusion: The study concluded five variables were statistically and significantly associated with violence against women in Indonesia: wealth status, homeownership, parity, husband/partner' age, and the education level of the husbands/partners.

Keywords: Household survey; Indonesia; Pregnant women; Quantitative study; Violence risk.