Water development projects and marital violence: experiences from rural Bangladesh.
In this study, we explored the implications of a groundwater development project on women's workload and their experience of marital violence in a Bangladesh village. We believe that the project facilitated irrigation water but also that it resulted in seasonal domestic water shortages. Men used deep motorized pumps for irrigation, and women used shallow handpumps for domestic purposes. Many handpumps dried out, so women had to walk to distant wells. This increased their workload and challenged their possibilities of fulfilling household obligations, thereby increasing the risk of normative marital male violence against women as a punishment for their failure.
Department of Social Work, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh. rkarimsw@yahoo.com
K M Rabiul
KM
Karim
Maria
M
Emmelin
Bernadette P
BP
Resurreccion
Sarah
S
Wamala
D000328:Adult; D001459:Bangladesh; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D060587:Groundwater; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012424:Rural Population; D012621:Seasons; D012940:Social Problems; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse; D014881:Water Supply; D055815:Young Adult