Women’s Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence in Sindh, Pakistan: An Analysis of Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey

Abstract

Intimate partner violence is a major impediment to gender equality in developing countries like Pakistan, which requires thorough analysis to ascertain the extent of prevalent violence and identify its underlying causes. Consequently, this study aims to empirically examine the factors associated with women’s attitudes toward violence in Sindh province (the second largest by population, income, and employment in Pakistan) using Sindh Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey data. The province presents an ideal candidate for studying intimate partner violence as it is quite uneven in terms of development. Our results reveal a high prevalence of intimate partner violence, with 55% of married women providing an affirmative answer to any one scenario of wife beating in the Sindh province. Multivariate regression analyses results of our study found that higher education, access to media, and the wealth status of both partners are protective factors against attitudinal acceptance of violence.