Economic and Social Resources and Domestic Violence among Young Women in Urban South India

Suneeta Krishnan, Women's Global Health Imperative and University of California, San Francisco
Corinne Rocca, University of California, San Francisco
Sujit Rathod, Women's Global Health Imperative and University of California, San Francisco
Tina Y. Falle, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)
Kalyani Subbiah, Women's Global Health Imperative and University of California, San Francisco
Rohini P. Pande, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)

The aim of this analysis is to examine whether economic and social resources are associated with reduced odds of recent physical domestic violence in a longitudinal study of gender-based power among 16-25 year-old married women in urban slums of Bangalore, India. A community sample of 747 women completed face-to-face interviews. Of these, 26% experienced physical domestic violence in the previous six months. In a full multivariable logistic regression model, greater household assets, being in an arranged marriage, and freedom from being asked for dowry after marriage were associated with lower reported violence. Other resources such as having participated in a vocational training program and participation in a social group were actually associated with higher reported violence. These findings suggest that certain social and economic resources may not decrease violence in contexts where underlying gender norms remain entrenched. Context-specific studies are critical to identify specific protective resources for women.