Who's at risk? Factors associated with intimate partner violence in the Philippines
Hindin, M.J.; Adair, L.S.
Social Science and Medicine 55(8): 1385-1399
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 0277-9536 PMID: 12231016 DOI: 10.1016/s0277-9536(01)00273-8Document Number: 243352
We describe the individual and household characteristics associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) in the Philippines, using data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS). We also examine 56 in-depth interview transcripts to explore the context of IPV. We focus our analysis on patterns of household decision-making as a measure of the interpersonal dynamics between husbands and wives. Thirteen percent of women in our sample reported IPV. While economic factors are often implicated in the cycle of violence in households, we find employment status and relative earnings do not predict IPV. Lower levels of household wealth and urban residence are associated with a higher likelihood of IPV. Patterns of household decision-making emerge as strong predictors of violence. The greater the number of decision-making domains men dominate, the more likely they are to use IPV; however, we also find that when women dominate household decisions, they are also more likely to experience IPV. Only 6% of women reported IPV when all household decisions were made jointly compared to 25% when no decisions were made jointly.