Page 87 - IJPS-11-4

International Journal of
Population Studies Droughts and intimate partner violence

states affected by the NEM drought saw a 50% increase complement a scientifically drawn sample. The lack of
in the odds of PV, and this result is significant at the longitudinal databases also severely limits causal inference
5% significance level. The odds of EV increased by 46% regarding the covariates of IPV.
(p < 0.05). The urban sample showed no statistically
significant increase in the odds of PV and EV post- 5. Conclusion
exposure to the rainfall shock. The estimates for SV are This study aimed to understand the impact of drought
statistically insignificant for rural areas but show a 98% on IPV in India, thereby improving previous studies by
increase in the odds for the urban sample, which is incorporating a more comprehensive set of covariates and
significant at the 10% level. One plausible explanation using data that effectively captures the effects of drought.
for the difference in the change in odds of PV and SV To maintain the integrity of the results, one major
between rural and urban areas is that PV is more visible drought-affected state was excluded from the analysis to
than SV. It is easier for SV to go unnoticed by neighbors in avoid contamination due to the onset of COVID-19. Our
urban areas. Social tolerance toward wife-beating is more findings revealed a strong association between exposure
prevalent in rural areas; thus, PV may be the preferred to NEM drought and an increased incidence of PV and
method for expressing aggression. Furthermore, EV. Although SV was also positively associated with
respondents in rural areas might be more open to sharing drought, the relationship was not statistically significant.
incidences of SV than their urban counterparts. In addition, our analysis highlights the heterogeneous
The heterogeneous effect of drought on rural and effects of drought across rural and urban areas. In rural
urban samples also supports our suspicion that the areas, we found a statistically significant relationship
pathway between drought and IPV runs through low between exposure to the NEM drought and both PV and
income. Rural areas are predominantly responsible for EV. In urban areas, although no significant relationship
agricultural output; thus, a decline in this sector is likely to emerged between PV and EV, a statistically significant
affect income more significantly. However, any conclusive association for SV.
comment can be made using a dataset that includes We suspect that the link between drought and increased
information about household income in addition to the IPV may be mediated by a decline in agricultural incomes.
domestic violence module of the NFHS. Our results also However, since the NFHS does not collect income data,
highlight the implications for policymakers. Providing this hypothesis could not be directly tested. Although
better government support during droughts could help household assets are recorded, they tend to change slowly
mitigate the incidence of IPV, especially in rural areas and are not suitable proxies for income in causal analyses.
directly affected by a reduction in agricultural income. This study established a clear, strong, and positive
Wage employment programs, properly targeted subsidies, association between drought exposure and IPV. As
and similar initiatives could relieve financial stress in rural drought itself cannot be influenced by IPV, we contribute
areas during periods of low rainfall, thereby keeping the to the existing literature by presenting strong evidence of
IPV under control.
drought’s effects on IPV in the Indian context.
As mentioned earlier, exposure to stressors like drought
intensifies controlling behavior in partners. Even if no Acknowledgments
visible incidence of PV, SV, or EV develops from such a None.
stressful situation, a considerable increase in controlling
behavior alone can make life difficult for women. Further Funding
studies are needed to explore whether controlling behavior None.
and IPV are mediation. One possible policy intervention
could focus on changing the mindsets of male partners Conflict of interest
since control issues are likely a manifestation of deeper
societal or psychological factors. The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

4.1. Limitations Author contributions
Our study faces the typical limitations of secondary data- Conceptualization: Durgesh C. Pathak
based research. The responses are self-reported by victims Formal analysis: Durgesh C. Pathak
of IPV and may suffer from recall bias and underreporting. Methodology: Durgesh C. Pathak
In addition, we recognize the potential of mixed-methods Writing-original draft: All authors
research in which qualitative interviews with women could Writing-review & editing: Durgesh C. Pathak

Volume 11 Issue 4 (2025) 81 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.3065