Does Spousal Violence Decline With Urbanization? Indian Perspective

Aparajita Chattopadhyay , International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Atreyee Sinha, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Ram B. Bhagat, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

The paper explores the levels and determinants of spousal violence ever experienced by currently married women in urban and rural parts of India. Ambiguity exists related to association of women’s experience of violence with urbanization. Using the Indian National Family Health Survey-3 (2005-06) data, this article has looked into the prevalence of physical, emotional and sexual violence by residential size class and in slums and non-slum areas of urban India. It also examines the determinants of spousal violence; hypothesizing that larger urban area will experience lesser chances of violence. Results show that levels of spousal violence is maximum in rural areas. Non-slum areas of urban India experience less spousal violence than slum dwellers. However, probability of experiencing violence is remarkably higher in towns and cities when effect of other factors are controlled. Thus, urbanization in India has not been able of erode patriarchal norms of gender inequality and women’s subordination.

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 Presented in Session 7. Migration & Urbanization