PREVALENCE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AMONGST WOMEN IN PUNJAB: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

The rise in domestic violence against women in India, especially in the pandemic and post-pandemic period, is an alarming issue that needs immediate attention. The dominant explanation for this emerging trend is structural inequality, internalized patriarchy, and misogyny. Factors such as patriarchal nature of society, hierarchy of relationships, perception of women as housewives, caregivers and child bearers they being the lower sex, encourage their suppression. Domestic violence in families is influenced by instability in relationships, excessive male power, control over the mobility of women, poverty, power relationships, preference for male offspring, alcohol and drug abuse by the male partner, and economic imbalance. This study has attempted to identify frequency of different forms of domestic violence such as physical violence, emotional violence, social violence, economic violence and sexual violence. The study revealed that all forms of violence were reported to be prevalent among the respondents. Considering each type of violence, emotional violence topped the chart, followed by economic violence and social violence. Respondents also reported to suffer from sexual violence and physical violence. The study suggests that for holistic sustainable development and women empowerment, different forms of domestic violence and causes/situations leading to it, needs to be identified. Additionally, the society needs to be sensitized how it affects the physiological, psychosocial and psychological wellness of women, at large, thus hampering their empowerment.