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Domestic violence and decision-making power of married women in Myanmar: analysis of a nationally representative sample

Kabir R 1 , Haque M 2 , Mohammadnezhad M 3 , Samad N 4 , Mostari S 5 , Jabin S 6 Show all authors , Majumder MAA 7 , Rabbani MG 8

Affiliations 

  • 1 From the School of Allied Health, Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
  • 2 From the Faculty of Medicine and Defense Health, National Defence University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 3 From the School of Public Health and Primary Care, Fiji National University, Nasinu, Fiji
  • 4 From the Department of Public Health, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 5 From the Access to Information, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 6 From the Health, Nutrition and Population Programme, BRA, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 7 From the Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of West Indies, Barbados
  • 8 From the Department of Public Health, Power and Participation Research Centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Ann Saudi Med, 2019;39(6):395-402.
PMID: 31804139 DOI: 10.5144/0256-4947.2019.395

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Women in Myanmar are not considered decision makers in the community and the physical and psychological effect of violence makes them more vulnerable. There is a strong negative reaction, usually violent, to any economic activity generated by women among poorer and middle-class families in Myanmar because a woman's income is not considered necessary for basic survival.

OBJECTIVE: Explore the relationship between domestic violence on the decision-making power of married women in Myanmar.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional.

SETTING: National, both urban and rural areas of Myanmar.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from the Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey 2015-16 were used in this analysis. In that survey, married women aged between 15 to 49 years were selected for interview using a multistage cluster sampling technique. The dependent variables were domestic violence and the decision-making power of women. Independent variables were age of the respondents, educational level, place of residence, employment status, number of children younger than 5 years of age and wealth index.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Domestic violence and decision-making power of women.

SAMPLE SIZE: 7870 currently married women.

RESULTS: About 50% respondents were 35 to 49 years of age and the mean (SD) age was 35 (8.4) years. Women's place of residence and employment status had a significant impact on decision-making power whereas age group and decision-making power of women had a relationship with domestic violence.

CONCLUSION: Giving women decision making power will be indispensable for the achievement of sustainable development goals. Government and other stakeholders should emphasize this to eliminate violence against women.

LIMITATIONS: Use of secondary data analysis of cross-sectional study design and cross-sectional studies are not suitable design to assess this causality. Secondly the self-reported data on violence may be subject to recall bias.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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