Dimensions of Domestic Violence and Their Relationship to Unintended Pregnancy in Cambodia

Tricia S. Ryan, University of Texas at Austin
Maryann Bylander, University of Texas at Austin

We assess the relationship between multiple dimensions of domestic violence and unintended pregnancy among ever-married women in Cambodia. Prior work demonstrates that domestic violence is associated with a higher risk of unintended pregnancy, but it remains unknown through what mechanisms and in what direction this link operates. There also remains a lack of clarity regarding the relationship between tolerance for and incidence of domestic violence, two distinct but theoretically related dimensions of violence. Using data from the 2000 Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey, we find that experience of physical violence raises the odds of unintended pregnancy by 60% while tolerance has no effect, and that an especially strong relationship appears to exist between a family history of violence and unintended pregnancy. We will further test these relationships using multiple measures of unintended pregnancy, attempting to unravel the relationships among economic characteristics, women’s empowerment, fertility, and violence.