Domestic violence against women in India: A systematic review of a decade of quantitative studies

Domestic violence (DV) is prevalent among women in India and has been associated with poor mental and physical health. We performed a systematic review of 137 quantitative studies published in the prior decade that directly evaluated the DV experiences of Indian women to summarise the breadth of recent work and identify gaps in the literature. Among studies surveying at least two forms of abuse, a median 41% of women reported experiencing DV during their lifetime and 30% in the past year. We noted substantial inter-study variance in DV prevalence estimates, attributable in part to different study populations and settings, but also to a lack of standardisation, validation, and cultural adaptation of DV survey instruments. There was paucity of studies evaluating the DV experiences of women over age 50, residing in live-in relationships, same-sex relationships, tribal villages, and of women from the northern regions of India. Additionally, our review highlighted a gap in research evaluating the impact of DV on physical health. We conclude with a research agenda calling for additional qualitative and longitudinal quantitative studies to explore the DV correlates proposed by this quantitative literature to inform the development of a culturally tailored DV scale and prevention strategies

Women and politics in democratic transitions: the case of Bhutan

This article addresses the question of what happens to women in democratic transitions. Of particular concern is whether women are encouraged to participate in politics and to stand as candidates for seats in national legislatures. In many instances, women have made only marginal progress in seeking election and getting elected in newly democratized regimes. This situation has been the experience of Bhutan, a country that held its first national elections only in 2007–2008. Despite women making significant gains in areas such as education, health and employment in Bhutan and guarantees of gender equality in the Constitution, they have made a poor showing in electoral politics. The article uses the explanatory framework of patriarchy to explore women’s minor participation in electoral politics. Of special concern are deeply rooted traditional concepts that have been employed today to exclude women from competing for and winning political office. The article concludes that because patriarchal attitudes are so deeply embedded only incremental progress will be made under current electoral rules. Alternatively, there could be quota systems as in some other South Asian countries.</p