NCJ Number
224749
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 14 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2008 Pages: 1181-1198
Date Published
October 2008
Length
18 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to examine how domestic violence affected the use of contraceptives by women in a rural village in India.
Abstract
Data show that individual and community attitudes toward domestic violence are linked to a woman’s ability to use contraceptives and make fertility decisions. The influence of husbands and in-laws on contraceptive decisionmaking was spoken of by many women as a catalyst of domestic violence. Family dynamics and marital expectations construct a reality in which women cannot make independent decisions related to their fertility. Specific pathways by which domestic violence affected contraceptive use were identified in this study: transgressions in obedience, mobility, and sexuality or fertility could result in domestic violence. Globally, a number of studies have both directly and indirectly linked domestic violence to various reproductive health problems, including unintended pregnancy. However, studies that have examined the relationship between domestic violence and contraceptive use are scarce. This study used a qualitative methodology to examine the interrelationships between family planning use and perceptions of domestic violence in a small village (Gangadhar) in rural West India. Notes and references