Sex and Violence: Gendered Perceptions and Behaviour in Five Indian States

Tiziana Leone, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Alankar Malviya, CHARCA

Violence against women is a key factor in determining a woman’s risk of becoming infected with HIV. Very little is known about the interplay between gender-based violence and HIV risks in India, even though a reduction in violence against women has been identified as a key strategy in the fight against HIV/AIDS infection. Using 2007 data collected in 5, three key research questions are addressed: How do men and women perceive differences in sexual rights (for example, coercive marital sex)? What is the link between the perceptions of risky behaviour and reported behaviour? What is the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics (for example, household structure, education, wealth) and risk-related behavioural outcomes (including safer sex and gender-based violence)?. A mixed methods approach is used, combining a quantitative individual-level survey (n=9,000) with a series of stratified focus groups (n=30).