Page 74 - IJPS-11-4

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Does drought increase intimate partner

violence? Evidence from India

Durgesh C. Pathak* and Dipti Chhugani
Department of Economics and Finance, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad
Campus, Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Abstract
India has a high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women. IPV has
been observed to increase during natural disasters. Many studies have attempted to
unravel the effect of drought on IPV; however, the evidence remains mixed. There
is a gap in such studies in the Indian context, and this study seeks to fill this gap.
We used data from the National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) (2015 – 2016) and
NFHS-5 (2019 – 2021) to examine the effect of drought caused by the failure of the
northeastern monsoon (NEM) in 2016 – 2018. Our analysis included data from 19
states and Union Territories of India (N = 34,590) in a difference-in-differences setup
to evaluate the effect of the NEM drought on IPV. Exposure to the NEM drought was
positively associated with physical violence (PV) and emotional violence, with results
significant at the 95% and 99% confidence levels, respectively. A subsample analysis of
rural and urban populations revealed that drought is significantly associated with an
increase in sexual violence in urban areas, whereas it correlates with PV in rural areas.
*Corresponding author: Additionally, exposure to drought is linked to a considerable rise in the controlling
Durgesh C. Pathak
(pathakdc@gmail.com) behavior of partners, for example, “He (is/was) jealous or angry if you (talk/talked) to
other men,” “he (does/did) not permit you to meet your female friends).” These findings
Citation: Pathak, D.C. & Chhugani, call for a two-fold policy action: providing support in the form of wage employment
D. (2025). Does drought increase
intimate partner violence? Evidence programs, subsidies, and other financial assistance during drought periods to help
from India. International Journal of households cope with financial stress and implementing awareness programs aimed
Population Studies, 11(4): 68-83. at changing partners’ mindsets, thereby reducing controlling behaviors in marriages.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.3065
Received: March 1, 2024
Keywords: Drought; India; Intimate partner violence; National family health survey
Revised: July 3, 2024
Accepted: August 26, 2024
Published online: October 25,
2024 1. Introduction
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). Natural disasters and extreme events have impacted human lives in several ways
This is an Open-Access article throughout history. As the effects of climate change become more pronounced, the
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution intersection of environmental stressors and social issues has become an increasingly
License, permitting distribution, important area of study. One critical aspect of this intersection is the relation between
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is drought and intimate partner violence (IPV). Droughts, characterized by prolonged
properly cited. periods of insufficient rainfall, have far-reaching consequences beyond immediate
Publisher’s Note: AccScience agricultural and economic impacts. Imagine living through a drought: crops fail, income
Publishing remains neutral with drops, water becomes scarce, and stress builds as families worry about their next meal
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional and how to make ends meet. This heightened stress does not stay confined to the fields;
affiliations. it seeps into homes, affecting relationships and mental health and potentially leading

Volume 11 Issue 4 (2025) 68 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.3065