Domestic violence and contraceptive use in a rural Indian village.
This study uses qualitative methods to examine how domestic violence affects the use of contraceptives by women in a rural village in India. The study highlights how multilevel factors are linked to a woman's ability to contracept and make fertility decisions in a context where being a wife implies obedience, limited mobility, sexual availability, and high fertility. The authors find that violence is normalized, or considered acceptable, if women do not adhere to expected gender roles. Although women's ability to make autonomous decisions is shown to be limited, the study explores covert strategies used to avoid pregnancy, which also tend to increase women's risk of experiencing domestic violence.
Wilson-Williams
Lyndsey
L
Emory University, GA, USA.
Stephenson
Rob
R
Juvekar
Sanjay
S
Andes
Karen
K
D000328:Adult; D018585:Battered Women / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012938:Social Perception; D012945:Social Values; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000208:ethnology*; D018454:Spouses / Q000208:ethnology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health / Q000208:ethnology*