Does education and economic empowerment of women help to reduce spousal violence in wealthy families?

Bharati Maurya, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

The main objective of this research study is to explore the help seeking attitudes of ever married educated and economic empowerment women specially belonging to the wealthy families; who suffered spousal violence in their lifetime. Data was taken from NFHS-3 where bivariate, multivariate and multinomial logistic regression analysis has been done. The analysis revealed that 3/4th women never asked for help who suffered violence in wealthy families. ½ % women who have completed their secondary education; 37% where husband and wife both are equally educated and 44% where husbands better educated than wives also never seeking for help. Women’s points of view who are trying to preserve the family's honour by not disclosing something that happened within the four walls of house, and also in the context of the sense of shame associated with being abused by someone known to them and with whom they share intimate or conjugal relations.