Domestic Violence in India and Repercussion on Women's Health

Ajay Kumar Singh, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Rabindra Kumar Sinha, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

Data from National Family Health Survey (NFHS 2) 1998-99 has been used to analyse the impact of domestic violence on reproductive health and general health of women in Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Maharastra states of India. Composite indexes of autonomy, reproductive and general health; nutritional intakes of women have been computed to asses linkages with domestic violence. Working women, most of whom were agricultural laborers, were more likely to experience violence, affecting adequate food intake, which is reflected by low Body Mass Index. Multivariate analysis reveals that women who were exposed to violence have significant dent on their nutrition levels, reproductive and general health, such as poor level of anaemia has emerged as significant outcome of the domestic violence. Even worst is the case of those women who suffer most and have higher number of spontaneous abortion and stillbirths. Surprisingly, women who were beaten, majority of them justified wife beating.