District Demographic Sex Ratios and Intimate Partner Violence Among Zambian Women: A Multilevel Analysis

• In Event: 249 - Regular Session. Violence in Less Frequently Studied Locations

Abstract

Intimate partner violence has been shown to be widespread and to have highly negative mental, emotional and physical health consequences for many women around the world. In this study, I examined if and how demographic sex ratios in their communities of residence influence intimate partner abuse among about 4,145 women 15 to 49 years old, using data from the 2001-2002 Zambia Demographic and Health Surveys, supplemented with additional data from the 2000 Zambia Population Census and other sources. Multilevel logistic regression techniques were used to estimate models linking the women’s recent and lifetime experiences of intimate partner violence to the demographic sex ratios of their communities of residence as well as other potential determinants. The study found that women’s risk of intimate partner violence declined in districts with high demographic sex ratios. The research will help social scientists better understand the social processes that govern women’s risk of intimate partner violence in the African region and elsewhere.

Author

• Kofi D. Benefo, City University of New York-Lehman College