Violence against Educated Women by Intimate Partners in Urban Karnataka, India

BACKGROUND Initially viewed as a human rights issue, partner violence is increasingly seen as an important public health problem of international concern. OBJECTIVES To assess the extent of physical, sexual, psychological, and controlling behavior of intimate partners against women in an educated society and find the association with age, age of marriage, married years, educational status of the women and that of partner. MATERIALS AND METHODS A prevalence of 15% was taken and final sample was 200, after considering loss of follow-up. STATISTICAL METHODS Proportion, Z-test, Chi-square test. RESULTS The prevalence of violence against intimate partner in educated society was found to be 40.5% in a South Indian city. Physical assault was high in 30-50 years and increased with duration of marriage from 5.5% at 5 years to 33.3% in 10-20 years of married life. Sexual and psychological assault also increased in <5 years of married life to 35% and 47.6% in 10-20 years duration of marriage, which was statistically significant. Sexual and psychological assault showed a bimodal presentation. Less educated women and their partners were found to report more violence, which was statistically significant. CONCLUSION Violence against women is not uncommon in the educated society.