Wife Beating: A Population-Based Study in Bangladesh

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health problem that is significantly associated with morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to explore the factors associated with attitudes toward wife beating among women in Bangladesh. From the sixth Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS-2011) interview data, 17,842 women were included in this study. A woman's age, household economic status, education (including her husband's), employment status, residence, region, decision-making autonomy, and religion were assessed in relation to acceptance or justification of wife beating under five hypothetical situations: if the wife burns the food, argues with husband, goes out without telling her husband, neglects the children, and if she refuses to have sexual intercourse with her husband. Of all the women who accept being beaten by their husbands, 23% accept it as a result of an argument, 18% due to neglecting their children, 17% due to going out without their husband's permission, 8% due to refusal of sex with husband, and 4% due to burning the food. Low household economic status, women's lower education, and being Muslim are significant factors for a woman to accept being beaten under all five hypothetical situations. Bangladesh has a long way to go in preventing IPV, particularly when poverty, low level of education, and unequal power in the family makes women vulnerable to gender-based domestic violence like IPV.