Transmission of Intergenerational Spousal Violence Against Women in India

Abstract

Violence against women is a major human rights and public health concern. By using the large scale data of National Family Health Survey-3, this chapter attempts to find the levels and determinants of intergenerational transmission of spousal violence against women in India. The results show that childhood exposure to parental spousal violence plays an important role in shaping conformation to the set of gender role norms in India. Moreover, the findings suggest that exposure to childhood violence have a more devastating effect on building women’s understanding of gender norms. Also, there is high concordance in current experience of spousal violence against women and spousal violence faced by their mothers; whereas, there is a weak association between men’s involvement in spousal violence and their parents’ experience of spousal violence. Given the pervasiveness of the problem of childhood exposure to parental spousal violence in India, this remains an important area for social, legal, and public policy concern.