Qualitative Health Research
April 2014; 24 (4)
http://qhr.sagepub.com/content/current
Special Issue: Women’s Health
Physical Intimate Partner Violence in Northern India
Maya I. Ragavan1, Kirti Iyengar2, Rebecca M. Wurtz3
1Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
2Action Research and Training for Health, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
3Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Maya I. Ragavan, Stanford University, Department of Pediatrics, 725 Welch Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.
http://qhr.sagepub.com/content/24/4/457.abstract
Abstract
In this article, we examine perceptions about the definition of physical intimate partner violence (IPV) in northern India utilizing feminist perspectives as a framework. We interviewed 56 women and 52 men affiliated with a health services nongovernmental organization in the Udaipur district of Rajasthan. We transcribed, coded, and analyzed the interviews utilizing grounded theory. We found that perceptions regarding physical IPV were associated with both structural and ideological patriarchal beliefs and microlevel constructs such as alcohol use. We discovered multiple types of physical IPV in the study region, including rationalized violence (socially condoned violence perpetrated by a husband against his wife), unjustified violence (socially prohibited violence perpetrated by a husband against his wife), and majboori violence (violence perpetrated by a wife against her husband). Our results add to the breadth of research available about IPV in India and create a framework for future research and IPV prevention initiatives.