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Microfinance Participation, Control Over Resources, and Justification of IPV: Results From a Nationally Representative Sample of Women
Authors: Nadine Shaanta Murshid
Source: Journal of Interpersonal Violence , April 13, 2016; Doi: 10.1177/0886260516641284
Topic(s): Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
Country: Asia
  Bangladesh
Published: APR 2016
Abstract: A high percentage of men and women are purported to justify intimate partner violence (IPV) in countries that are steeped in patriarchy even in the presence of programs such as microfinance that aim to address gender equity. This article examines two assertions that emerge from the literature on microfinance and its potential for positive outcomes for women who participate in it: (a) Microfinance participation is associated with reduced justification of IPV, and (b) microfinance participants with control over their own resources are less likely to justify IPV when compared with microfinance participants who do not have control over their resources. Couples data from a nationally representative survey, the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, were used in the present study. Propensity score matching and logistic regression analyses were conducted to reveal that (a) microfinance participation was not associated with justification of IPV and that (b) women who participated in microfinance were less likely to justify IPV when they had no control over their resources. Implications for practitioners and policymakers are discussed. Keyword: intimate partner violence, intervention/treatment, cultural contexts