Consent and Coercion: Examining Unwanted Sex Among Married Young Women in India

Santhya, K.G.; Haberland, Nicole; Ram, Faujdar; Sinha, Rabindra Kumar; Mohanty, Sanjay K.

doi:10.1363/3312407

Cited by 71 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Given the wide variability in sampling procedures, interview conditions and question wording, any comparison to other societies is difficult to make. However, the prevalence of SVWM among young married women in Nepal appears similar to those in other developing countries and especially South Asia [10,11]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

The prevalence and determinants of sexual violence against young married women by husbands in rural Nepal

Puri¹,

Frost

Tamang³

et al. 2012

BMC Res Notes

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundSexual violence within marriage is a public health and human rights issue; yet it remains a much neglected research area, especially in Nepal. This paper represents one of the first attempts to quantify the extent of sexual violence and its determinants among young married women in Nepal.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,296 married women aged 15–24 years in four major ethnic groups in rural Nepal. The survey data were used to estimate the prevalence and identify determinants of sexual violence. The relative importance of different correlates of sexual violence in the past 12 months at the individual, household and community levels were examined by using a multi-level multivariate statistical approach.ResultsOf the young women surveyed 46% had experienced sexual violence at some point and 31% had experienced sexual violence in the past 12 months. Women’s autonomy was found to be particularly protective against sexual violence both at the individual and community level. Women’s educational level was not found to be protective, while the educational level of the husband was found to be highly protective.ConclusionsThe high prevalence of sexual violence against young women by husbands found in this study is a matter for serious concern and underscores the need for a comprehensive response by policymakers.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

The prevalence and determinants of sexual violence against young married women by husbands in rural Nepal

Puri¹,

Frost

Tamang³

et al. 2012

BMC Res Notes

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Potential predictors and control variables for analyses of IPV were drawn from a review of the literature on women’s experience of IPV in the South Asian context (Kishor & Johnson, 2004; Rocca, et al, 2009; Koenig, Stephenson, Ahmed, Jejeebhoy, & Campbell, 2006; Santhya, Haberland, Ram, Sinha, & Mohanty, 2007; Rao, 1997; Panda & Agarwal, 2005; INCLEN, 2000). The predictor variables include: witnessing violence between her father and mother (yes vs. no), age difference between husband and wife (same age, husband younger, husband 1-4 years older; husband 5-9 years older; husband 10+ years older), household structure (nuclear vs. non-nuclear), and husband alcohol use (yes vs. no).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between Early Marriage and Intimate Partner Violence in India: A Focus on Youth from Bihar and Rajasthan

Speizer

Pearson

2010

J Interpers Violence

122

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and early marriage is explored using the 2005-2006 India National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3). The NFHS-3 collected data from a representative sample of women and men in India with a large enough sample size to have a representative sample at the state level. The focus is on youth from Bihar and Rajasthan, two states with high IPV and early marriage. Multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrate that women ages 20-24 who married before age eighteen, the legal age at marriage in India, are more likely to have ever experienced IPV in their lifetime and recently experienced IPV (in the last 12 months) than their counterparts who married later. The results were significant in Rajasthan but not in Bihar. To reduce IPV, targeted efforts must be made to decrease the proportion of India’s girls who are married under the legal age of marriage.

show abstract

“…More than half of all Indian women ages 20–49 are married before age 18,ii and the majority become sexually active after marriage iii. Sex within marriage for a young Indian woman is not necessarily voluntary, negotiated, or safe iv,v. Women marrying young have little power to influence decisions about their sexuality and fertility vi,vii,viii.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘If your husband calls, you have to go’: understanding sexual agency among young married women in urban South India

Pande¹,

Falle²,

Rathod

et al. 2011

Sex. Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Early marriage is common in many developing countries, including India, this study’s setting. Women who marry early have little power within their marriage, particularly in the sexual domain. Yet, research is limited on women’s ability to control their marital sexual experiences. Methods We identified factors affecting sexual communication, an aspect of sexual agency, among married women ages 16–25, in Bangalore, India, and how factors associated with sexual communication differed from those influencing non-sexual agency. We ran ordered logit regression models for one outcome of sexual agency (sexual communication), and two outcomes of non-sexual agency (fertility control and financial decision-making). Qualitative data elucidated our findings. Results Agency was more restricted in sexual (11.3% with high sexual communication) than non-sexual domains (25.1% with high financial decision-making agency and 32.4% with high fertility control). Feeling prepared before the first sexual experience was significantly associated with sexual communication (OR=1.8, p=0.014). Longer marriage duration (OR 2.13, p=0.000) and having worked pre-marriage (OR 1.38, p=0.038) were also significant. However, few other measures of women’s resources increased their odds of sexual communication. Education, having children, pre-marital vocational training and marital intimacy were significant for non-sexual but not sexual agency. Thus, factors associated with sexual communication differed from those associated with non-sexual agency. Conclusions Policymakers seeking to enhance young married women’s sexual communication need to consider providing sex education to young women before they marry. More broadly, interventions designed to increase women’s agency need to be tailored to the type of agency being examined.

show abstract

Consent and Coercion: Examining Unwanted Sex Among Married Young Women in India

Abstract: For married young women, sex is not always consensual or wanted. Further research is required to determine the effects of unwanted sex on sexual and reproductive health outcomes and to help programs develop the best strategies for dealing with coerced sex within marriage.

Cited by 71 publications

References 22 publications

The prevalence and determinants of sexual violence against young married women by husbands in rural Nepal

The prevalence and determinants of sexual violence against young married women by husbands in rural Nepal

Association between Early Marriage and Intimate Partner Violence in India: A Focus on Youth from Bihar and Rajasthan

‘If your husband calls, you have to go’: understanding sexual agency among young married women in urban South India

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About