Community justice: The importance of village social characteristics on individual women's risk of domestic abuse in rural Uttar Pradesh, India

Past research suggests that the relationship between women's status and partner abuse is highly contextual. In some communities, high status appears to protect women from abuse while in others it puts them at greater risk. This quantitative study uses hierarchal linear analysis to examine the impact of village social environments on individual women's risk of partner abuse in rural Uttar Pradesh, India. Using merged individual and village level data from the 1999 India Demographic and Health Survey, the study identifies community characteristics that protect women from and/or put them at greater risk of partner abuse, controlling for individual attributes such as education, income, and women's empowerment. Results indicate that village social norms and social capital influence a woman's likelihood of abuse. One of the most important community factors of influence is the village level tolerance of domestic abuse. This measure influences the impact of other community characteristics. For example, living in a village with a woman's group matters, but whether the woman's group is protective or risky depends on the level of tolerance of domestic violence in that village. Also, the village proportion of women working has a positive (harmful) association with domestic abuse, and this association is intensified by the village level of tolerance of abuse. The importance of social acceptance of women's oppression is discussed, as are the social justice implications for women as well as men.