Acceptance Of Intimate Partner Violence Research Articles

Changes in Attitude toward Intimate Partner Violence in Rapidly Developing Countries: The Case of Indonesia

Male-perpetrated intimate partner violence (IPV) is a severe human rights violation that negatively affects women’s well-being worldwide. Although many studies have examined the factors influencing IPV, few have investigated the changes in attitudes toward IPV during rapid economic growth. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify changes in attitudes toward husband-on-wife violence by gender, from 2007 to 2017, using individual data from the Indonesia Demographic and Health Surveys. The estimation results revealed that, despite being more accepting of IPV, young women, women living in rural areas other than Java and Bali, and women belonging to lower social classes have significantly increased their negative attitudes toward IPV over the past decade. Although negative attitudes toward IPV have increased significantly among men living in eastern Indonesia, men in their teens, 20s, and 30s and those living in Sumatra have become more accepting of IPV. This suggests that the overall awareness of IPV resistance among men has not increased. The acceptance of IPV is more prevalent among employed women in the middle and lower socioeconomic strata than among their unemployed counterparts. However, the reverse trend has become clearer among women in the upper strata over the past decade.

Consanguineous Marriages and the Perception of Wife-Beating Justification in Pakistan: An Application of Fairlie Decomposition Analysis.

Pakistan has a significant occurrence of both consanguineous marriages and intimate partner violence (IPV), which may be interlinked. The practice of consanguineous marriages could potentially influence women to rationalize and accept instances of IPV. Such attitudes perpetuate a culture of violence against women, creating difficulties for victims to reject or escape from it. Pakistan has high prevalence rate of consanguineous marriages and IPV. However, no research has been done to explain the difference in acceptance of IPV between women in consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriages. This study used Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey data and applied association tests, logistic regression, and the Fairlie decomposition analysis. The Fairlie decomposition helps us identify the relative contribution of different socioeconomic factors in the inequalities in IPV between the two types of marriages. Five dimensions of wife-beating justification are used as outcome variables. Age, education, and empowerment of women, husband education, woman witness parental violence, region, place of residence, and household wealth status are used as independent variables. The logistic regression results indicated that women in consanguineous marriages of younger age and who witnessed parental violence are more likely to justify wife-beating than those who belong to wealthy households and enjoy more empowerment. Compared to the Punjab province, women residing in Sindh and Baluchistan are less likely and in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province are more likely to justify wife-beating. The Fairlie decomposition analysis shows that household wealth status, woman education, and empowerment are the main contributors in explaining the gap between the wife-beating justification of the two groups. The IPV gap can be reduced up to 77% if the distribution of women in different wealth quantiles of the consanguineous marriage group is identical to the non-consanguineous marriage group. Furthermore, woman education level is the second highest contributor. Consanguineous marriages are a prevalent cultural practice in Pakistan and are associated with several negative health and social outcomes. Addressing this issue requires a sustained and comprehensive effort by the government, civil society, and international partners, with a particular focus on women from poor households with less education.

The Effect of Irrational Relationship Beliefs on Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence in Emerging Adults: Moderating Effect of Gender.

Attitudes toward intimate partner violence (IPVA) can be considered as approval/acceptance or disapproval/nonacceptance of physical violence against the intimate partner, psychological abuse, and control of the intimate partner. Individual (such as antisocial tendencies and irrational relationship beliefs [IRB]) and social factors (such as traditional norms and beliefs) shape IPVA. Studies on intimate partner violence (IPV) have revealed a significant relationship between IPVA and IPV. For this reason, IPVA is key to understanding IPV. This study was conducted to examine the effect of IRB on IPVA in Turkish emerging adults and the moderating effect of gender. Participants consisted of 551 students studying at a university in Central Anatolia. Of the participants, 374 were female, and the remaining 177 were male. All participants had at least one previous relationship experience. In the preliminary analysis performed, males' IPVA scores were higher than those of females. The study findings revealed that IRB and gender positively and significantly predicted IPV attitudes. Another important finding showed that the effect of IRB on IPVA was stronger for females. The results highlighted the importance of working on transforming irrational beliefs into rational beliefs in women's acceptance of IPV.

Factors associated with married women’s attitude toward intimate partner violence: A study on 20 low-and middle-income countries

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a global problem and has been reported to be significantly higher for women in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The researchers analyzed Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data of married women in 20 LMICs to examine those most vulnerable to accepting IPV by investigating associated risk factors. The researchers revealed a higher level of acceptance of IPV among illiterate women from poorer households in remote areas. Using these findings, the authors provide insight into ensuring and enhancing the living standards of these vulnerable women by making education more readily accessible.

Prevalence, Correlates, and Trends of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Cambodia: Findings From 2014 and 2021-22 Cross-Sectional Demographic and Health Surveys.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is globally endemic and a gross violation of human rights, in addition to abuse of intimacy by some men against their female intimate partners. Based on literature review, attitudinal, socio-demographic, and experiential attributes of 15 to 49 year old ever partnered women in the heterosexual relationships were identified. This study used the anonymized 2020-21Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey (CDHS) data to compute the IPV prevalence and its correlates, in addition to computing the changes in IPV prevalence at the urban, rural, and at the national levels using data from the 2014 CDHS. Identified attitudinal, socio-demographic, and experiential attributes were used in the bivariate and multivariable analysis. Simple and multiple logistic regression models were used for computing the bivariate and multivariate associations with IPV; additionally, trend analysis was done to compute changes in IPV prevalence between the 2 surveys. Lifetime prevalence of IPV was 20.70%, while the most common subtype was emotional IPV at 18.70%. Ten out of 12 correlates studied were found to be statistically significantly associated with IPV in the bivariate analysis. These were added in the multivariable model and 7 were found to be statistically significantly associated with IPV. Which included educational attainment of women and their intimate partners, number of living children, women's IPV acceptance, male partner's alcohol use, knowledge of physical beating of mother by one's father, and controlling behavior exercised by partner. During the intervening period between the 2 CDHSs, IPV and its subtypes were decreased in both urban and rural areas, as well as nationally. IPV decrease between the 2 DHSs and lower IPV rates in 2021-22 augur well for the health and human rights of Cambodian women. However, the ultimate target of eliminating IPV against women, will require measures that ensure economic and gender empowerment, and gender equality.

Women's socioeconomic status and attitudes toward intimate partner violence in Eswatini: A multilevel analysis.

Attitudes supportive of spousal violence retards developmental efforts worldwide, and in particular in patriarchal African settings. It is important to curb this behavior by designing preventative evidence-based policies. This study examines the acceptance of intimate partner violence among women residing in Eswatini and determines whether attitudes supportive of intimate partner violence are associated with women's low socioeconomic status both at the individual- and community-level. Cross-sectional secondary data from two Eswatini Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) conducted in 2010 and 2014 with representative samples of 4,686 and 4,761 women, respectively were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multilevel (random effect) logistic regressions. Overall, the prevalence of acceptance of intimate partner violence declined significantly between 2010 and 2014 in Eswatini (29.0% vs. 19.8%, p<0.001). In both surveys, socioeconomic factors associated with women's supportive attitudes toward intimate partner violence were educational level, marital structure, and community socioeconomic disadvantage. Overall, primary or lower educational attainment, single/unmarried relationships, and women living in a community with a high socioeconomic disadvantage were key factors associated with supportive attitudes toward intimate partner violence. Secondary or higher education for individual women and a high proportion of women in the community with low socioeconomic disadvantage are important socioeconomic predictors of reducing women's supportive attitudes toward intimate partner violence. Therefore, further gains in non-supportive attitudes toward acceptance of intimate partner violence could be achieved through efforts and intervention in the education of individual women and improving women's socioeconomic status in the community.

Pathways to reduced physical intimate partner violence among women in north-western Tanzania: Evidence from two cluster randomised trials of the MAISHA intervention.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects over one-in-four women globally. Combined economic and social empowerment interventions are a promising IPV prevention model. However, questions remain on the mechanisms through which such interventions prevent IPV, and whether standalone social empowerment interventions can work in the absence of an economic component. This secondary analysis of MAISHA Study data (north-western Tanzania) explores pathways through which a group-based gender-training intervention, delivered to women standalone or alongside microfinance, may impact on physical IPV risk. Two cluster-randomised trials (CRT) assessed the impact of the MAISHA intervention on women's IPV risk; CRT01 among women in 66 pre-existing microfinance groups (n = 919), and CRT02 among 66 newly-formed groups not receiving microfinance (n = 1125). Women were surveyed at baseline and 29 months follow-up. Sub-group analyses explored whether intervention effects on past-year experience of physical IPV varied by participant characteristics. Mediators of intervention effect on physical IPV were explored using mixed-effects logistic regression (disaggregated by trial). In CRT01, MAISHA was associated with reduced past-year physical IPV (adjusted-OR 0.63, 95%CI 0.41-0.98), with stronger effects among those younger, more financially independent, and without prior physical IPV. CRT02 showed no impact on physical IPV, overall or among sub-groups. In CRT01, individual-level reduced acceptability of IPV and group-level confidence to intervene against IPV emerged as potential mediators of intervention effect, while relationship-level indicators of communication were not impacted. In CRT02, positive impacts on individual-level attitudes did not translate into reduced IPV risk. In CRT02, arguments with partners over perceived transgressions of gender roles increased in the intervention-arm. Neither trial resulted in increased separations. Findings illustrate the importance of addressing poverty and women's economic dependence on men, structural factors that may impede the success of socially oriented violence prevention programming. Programming with men is also crucial to ameliorate risks of backlash against attitudinal/behavioural change among women. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT02592252.

Chinese Women's Acceptance of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women.

Few studies have empirically examined factors influencing attitudes toward acceptance of intimate partner violence (IPV), and no study has yet studied the topic in China. We empirically test the effects of attitudes toward gender roles and exposure to violence during childhood on the acceptance of IPV and the moderating effects of education and income on these relationships. Using survey data collected from 600 Chinese women from southern China, we found that education and income moderate the relationship between belief in gender equality and acceptance of IPV. The effect of exposure to parental physical violence on the acceptance of IPV is moderated by education.

"It's Their Consent You Have to Wait For": Intimate Partner Violence and BDSM Among Gender and Sexual Minority Youth.

Gender and sexual minoritized (GSM) youth are more likely than their cisgender heterosexual peers to experience intimate partner violence (IPV) and practice bondage and discipline, domination and submission, sadism, and masochism (BDSM). Although IPV and BDSM are vastly different phenomena, superficial similarities (e.g., violent behaviors) can lead to misidentification in both practice and research. This study explores how GSM youth (a) experience and understand the differences between IPV and BDSM and (b) report consensual violent and controlling behaviors when answering items on IPV measures. Nine demographically diverse GSM youth (mean age 21.2) were drawn from a GSM youth-serving organization in the Northeast United States. Participants were interviewed about their experiences with IPV, BDSM, and consent. Participants also were asked to describe the process of completing two standardized measures of IPV. Interviews were coded using conventional and directed content analysis. Eight of nine participants reported IPV victimization, and seven reported BDSM interest or experiences. Four themes emerged: (a) GSM youth experience a spectrum of IPV victimization, often related to their gender and sexual identity; (b) interest in BDSM does not imply an acceptance of IPV; (c) GSM youth have a nuanced understanding of consent and strategies to communicate consent with their partners; and (d) Consent is the organizing framework by which GSM youth distinguish IPV from BDSM. Participants reported various degrees of certainty that they would include BDSM behaviors when answering questions about violent behaviors. Findings underscore the importance of conceptually and operationally differentiating IPV and BDSM. Programs that serve GSM youth should address IPV victimization, offer sex-positive education regarding healthy relationships and BDSM, and assist GSM youth in differentiating abusive behaviors from consensual BDSM. Standardized measures that do not conflate BDSM with IPV are crucial for studying IPV among GSM youth.

Time-use among men and women in Zambia: A comparison of grid, off-grid, and unconnected households

Access to electricity is essential to improving quality of life. The goal of this study is to understand how different types of electricity access affect time use between men and women and identify the everyday activities where electricity may have the greatest impact on women's quality of life. Using the World Bank's Multi-Tier Framework (MTF) dataset for Zambia, we apply a Tobit model to examine how male and female household members allocate their time among different activities and the impact of different types of electric connections on those allocations. Our results show that compared to households without electricity, off-grid connections significantly increase women's time in paid work, more so than grid connections, while grid connections significantly increase the time both men and women spend listening to the radio and watching television. These activities have been shown to be key to empowering women through exposure to women in emancipated roles, decreased fertility rates, lower acceptance of intimate partner violence, and increased shares of divorce and separation. Off-grid connected households showed no difference in television or radio time and increased time in energy-related activities for both men and women compared to households without electricity. These results suggest that efforts to expand grid-connected and off-grid electricity may have different effects on women's quality of life.

Women’s Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence in Turkey: The Role of Leisure Activities, Religiosity, and Patriarchy

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is an essential social and health problem worldwide and attitudes toward IPV are one of the important factors related to this issue. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to examine the effect of factors including social activities involvement, religiosity, and patriarchal ideology on attitudes toward IPV. Based on literature related to these factors three hypotheses were developed to test by the 2013-Turkey Demographic and Health Survey which includes a sample of 8847 women. Findings from a number of logistic regression models demonstrate that participation in leisure activities decreases the acceptance of IPV. On the contrary, an increase in personal religiosity and women’s patriarchal beliefs enhances the justification of IPV among women. Among social-demographic characteristics, education and household wealth seem to be important factors preventing the approval of IPV. The findings of the study are discussed in the context of the social and cultural background of Turkey.

Intimate partner violence among unmarried young women (18-24 years) in urban communities, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global health problem that affects more than one-third of women globally. Young women who experience IPV face the same consequences as older women. Previous studies on IPV have not studies young women exclusively, thus, we aimed to report the prevalence of IPV and predictors among young women in Ibadan, Nigeria. A community-based cross-sectional survey, using multistage cluster technique was conducted to determine the past-year prevalence of IPV among unmarried young women (n=736) from 20 communities in five Local Government Areas in Ibadan, Nigeria. The independent variables were respondents and their partners' background information. Dependent variables were experience of physical, sexual, psychological and any IPV. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression (α0.05). Psychological IPV was the most prevalent form of IPV (50.1 %). Prevalence of any IPV was 56.3 %. At the bivariate level, having children, acceptance of IPV, ever had sex, age at first sex, experience at sexual debut, partners being with other women while being with the respondents, partners alcohol use, and partners witness of abuse as a child were significantly associated with IPV. However, only acceptance of IPV, experience at sexual debut, and partners being with other women while being with the respondents remained significant at the multivariate level. IPV is a common occurrence among young women. Both individual and partners characteristics, especially acceptance of IPV contribute significantly to experience of IPV among young women. Hence, interventions targeted at reduction of IPV acceptance will greatly reduce the prevalence of IPV.

Measuring social norms of intimate partner violence to exert control over wife agency, sexuality, and reproductive autonomy: an item response modelling of the IPV-ASRA scale

BackgroundThe field of violence prevention research is unequivocal that interventions must target contextual factors, like social norms, to reduce gender-based violence. Limited research, however, on the social norms contributing to intimate partner violence or reproductive coercion exists. One of the driving factors is lack of measurement tools to accurately assess social norms.MethodsUsing an item response modelling approach, this study psychometrically assesses the reliability and validity of a social norms measure of the acceptability of intimate partner violence to exert control over wife agency, sexuality, and reproductive autonomy with data from a population-based sample of married adolescent girls (ages 13–18) and their husbands in rural Niger (n = 559 husband-wife dyads) collected in 2019.ResultsA two-dimensional Partial Credit Model for polytomous items was fit, showing evidence of reliability and validity. Higher scores on the “challenging husband authority” dimension were statistically associated with husband perpetration of intimate partner violence.ConclusionsThis brief scale is a short (5 items), practical measure with strong reliability and validity evidence. This scale can help identify populations with high-need for social norms-focused IPV prevention and to help measure the impact of such efforts.

The association between women's disability and acceptance towards intimate partner violence among women and their male partners: A multi-country analysis.

To examine whether disabled women are more likely to report accepting attitudes towards intimate partner violence (IPV) than non-disabled women, and whether male partners of disabled women are more likely to accept IPV than male partners of non-disabled women. Secondary analysis of nationally representative cross-sectional data from the Demographic Health Survey (DHS) in nine countries. Logistic regression examined the relationship between (1) women's disability and IPV acceptance (n = 114 695) and (2) women's disability and their male partners' IPV acceptance (n = 20 566); pooled and country-specific estimates were calculated. IPV acceptance ranged from 5% to 80% among women and from 5% to 56% among male partners. Overall, disabled women were more accepting of IPV than non-disabled women (pooled adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-1.20), with country-specific aOR ranging from 1.05 to 1.63. Overall, disabled women's male partners had higher likelihood of IPV acceptance than non-disabled women's partners (pooled aOR 1.13, 95% CI 1.00-1.28).; country-specific estimates varied (aOR range from 0.56 to 1.40). Disabled women and their male partners had higher IPV acceptance compared with non-disabled women and their male partners. More research is needed to better understand this association, including disability-associated discrimination. Findings underscore the importance of more research with disabled women and their partners to address IPV.

Intimate Partner Violence: Views and Perspectives of Young Women at Maputo-city Secondary Schools, Mozambique

Intimate partner violence (IPV) among young women is of serious concern due to the early age of occurrence. This study explored young women’s views about IPV in Maputo City, Mozambique. An explorative, qualitative study design was employed using purposive sampling. The themes were developed in line with the socio-ecological model and the data were analyzed using a thematic content approach. Four themes emerged: (1) Individual level, related to the knowledge of young women about IPV; (2) Relationship level, related to the influence of friends; (3) Community level, related to the religious beliefs; and (4) Societal level, related to factors promoting acceptance of IPV. There is need for an integrated approach to address the individual, relationship, community and societal concerns about IPV among young women in Mozambique to improve skills to challenge the dominant male norms and enhance their autonomy to manage and end violent relationships.

Exposure to interparental violence and justification of intimate partner violence among women in Papua New Guinea

BackgroundPrevious studies have demonstrated that exposure to interparental violence is associated with intimate partner violence justification in a variety of contexts. In this study, we examined the association between exposure to interparental violence and justification of intimate partner violence among women in Papua New Guinea.MethodsWe used data from the 2016–18 Papua New Guinea Demographic and Health Survey. We included 2839 women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in a sexual union (married and cohabiting) in the study. We used a multivariable binary multilevel regression analysis to examine the association between interparental violence and justification of intimate partner violence. We presented the results of the regression analysis using crude odds ratio (cOR) and adjusted odds ratios (aORs), with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsWomen exposed to interparental violence were 1.26 (95%CI = 1.05, 1.53) times more likely to justify intimate partner violence than those who were not exposed. Women who resided in the Highlands (aOR = 2.50, 95%CI = 1.78, 3.51), Momase (aOR = 1.96, 95%CI = 1.40, 2.75), and Islands (aOR = 1.42, 95%CI = 1.01, 1.99) were more likely to justify intimate partner violence compared to those in the Southern region. Women who were exposed to one (aOR = 1.38, 95%CI = 1.06, 1.82) mass media were more likely to justify intimate partner violence compared to those who had no exposure to mass media. On the other hand, women aged 25–34 years (aOR = 0.66, 95%CI = 0.48, 0.91) and 35–49 years (aOR = 0.66, 95%CI = 0.44, 0.97) were less likely to justify intimate partner violence compared to those aged 15–24 years.ConclusionsOur study has shown that exposure to interparental violence is a predictor of intimate partner violence justification. This study suggests the need for conscious and continuous efforts to identify and assist women who have been exposed to interparental violence to help prevent its transition to later life. Policies and interventions should be developed and implemented to curtail children’s exposure to domestic violence in their households. Also, laws and policies need to condemn any violence and demystify community justification and acceptance of intimate partner violence, taking into consideration the significant sociodemographic characteristics of the women highlighted in the study.

Bivariate mapping of intimate partner violence prevalence and its correlates in Liberia by county: Results from the 2019-2020 Demographic and Health Survey.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health concern and requires nuanced health policy response for effective addressal at the subnational level. Using the nationally and county level representative data from the 2019-20 Demographic and Health Survey of Liberia, the prevalence of IPV was computed for each of the sixteen Liberian counties in 15 - 49-year-old women. Additionally, prevalence of IPV acceptance and having parental IPV were also computed. Prevalence of each of the three metrics were mapped by county, in addition to bivariate mapping of the three attributes. Results demonstrate wide chasms in prevalence at the county level. Several countries with high prevalence of one metric were correlated with the high prevalence of the other two metrics, and vice versa. Albeit nuanced differences in associations at the county level were also observed. Findings auger for nuanced health policy measures to address IPV more effectively in Liberia.

Regional variations in the acceptance and experience of intimate partner violence in Nigeria: Revisiting cosmopolitan-success and conservative-failure hypothesis.

This study investigates regional variations in the factors associated with acceptance and actual experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) among married women in northern and southern Nigeria - two regions with distinct socio-cultural and economic differences. Data from the 2018 demographic and health survey are analysed to compare these two regions. The sample comprised married/living-with-partner women within the reproductive age of 15-49. Overall, a positive association exists between IPV experience and IPV acceptance, regardless of which is used as the outcome variable. Contrary to the notion that IPV is prevalent where its acceptance is high, this study finds that the reverse is true. IPV acceptance is significantly higher in the north than in the south (39.4% versus 14.7%), but the reverse is the case for the actual experience of IPV (20.1% versus 24.7%). Being employed and having access to the internet reduce the odds of IPV victimisation for women in the south, but increases the chances for northern women. Muslims in the north have significantly higher odds of IPV acceptance than their Christian counterparts in the same region, but the reverse is the case in the south. Regional differences also exist in the influence of decision-making, educational difference between spouses, and media exposure. While the cosmopolitan-success and conservative-failure hypothesis explains the regional differences in the acceptance of IPV, it fails to explain differences in the actual experience of IPV. The study provides alternative explanations for the regional differences in the experience of IPV and acceptance of it in Nigeria, and it points to the need for differing intervention programmes across regions. Notably, the study found that the association between justification of IPV and actual experience of it is bi-directional and suggests caution in making causal inferences.

Partner Alcohol Use and Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence: Independent and Synergistic Effects on Intimate Partner Violence Across 19 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Although partner alcohol use and acceptance of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) are critical determinants of IPVAW, little is known about their interaction. We explored how partner alcohol use and attitudes toward IPVAW act independently and jointly at the individual and community levels to influence women's reports of experiencing IPVAW across low- and middle-income countries. We conducted secondary analyses using a pooled sample of reproductive-aged women (n = 166,621) from 19 Demographic and Health Survey datasets. We fit a series of a priori-defined mixed-effects logistic regression models of the total effects, within- and between-community effects, and contextual effects of past-year IPVAW on partner alcohol use, acceptance of IPVAW, and their multiplicative interaction. We then fit a series of models stratified by community alcohol use and acceptance of IPVAW. Partner alcohol use (odds ratio [OR] = 3.20; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [3.07, 3.33]) and women's acceptance of IPVAW (OR = 1.83; 95% CI: [1.76, 1.89]) were consistently associated with increased odds of experiencing IPVAW. Sub-multiplicative interactions were present for within-community effects (ratio of OR = 0.86; 95% CI: [0.79, 0.94]), whereas supra-multiplicative interactions were present for between-community effects (ratio of OR = 1.002; 95% CI: [1.0002, 1.005]) and contextual effects (ratio of OR = 1.003; 95% CI: [1.0007, 1.005]). The odds of IPVAW associated with partner alcohol use was greatet in communities with lower partner alcohol prevalence and lower acceptance of IPVAW. It is important to consider norms and attitudes toward IPVAW alongside alcohol use when understanding epidemiological patterns of IPVAW and potential opportunities for preventive programs and policymaking. Future studies should focus on the complex interactions, at multiple social levels, between interacting risk factors for IPVAW.

Unveiling Frequently Co-Occurring Reasons of Attitudinal Acceptance of Intimate Partner Violence against Women: A Behavioral Data Science Perspective.

The results of gender equality indicators across the world in the form of prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women are striking and has thus drawn the attention of policy makers as well as necessitates the adoption of a comprehensive system to deal with. The situation of IPV in Pakistan is alarming. This study examines the acceptability attitude of women and men toward intimate partner violence against women through data science. It discovers and contrasts the frequently co-occurring reasons due to which husbands’ behaviour of beating their wives is believed to be legitimate by both partners in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Though the discovered frequently co-occurring reasons, such as “arguing with the husband and neglecting the children” altogether, are similar in both genders but the fraction of wives believing in such reasons are significantly greater than that of husbands. This psychological disparity across genders could help in identifying the social and cultural factors to whom this disparity is attributed. It is expected that the identified co-occurring groups of reasons would help to understand the problem to the next level and devise better strategies to mitigate them.