Gender-Based Violence in Rural Uttar Pradesh, India: Prevalence and Association with Reproductive Health Behaviors

This study provides evidence of the association of violence on the reproductive health behavior of married women in rural India. The study explores the prevalence of different forms of domestic violence and their impact on women’s reproductive health behavior in rural Uttar Pradesh (UP), India. Data were collected as a part of a large household survey carried out in 2009–2010. Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate analyses. More than one third of married women in rural UP had experienced one or more forms of violence, such as verbal abuse, physical manhandling, and sexual abuse by their spouse. Nearly 47% of the women had experienced some form of violence during their last pregnancy.