DOMESTIC VIOLENCE – RURAL-URBAN CURRENT AGE AND AGE AT MARRIAGE DIFFERENTIAL IMPACT ON WOMEN PHYSICAL HEALTH IN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Do the women who get married at a younger age and reside in rural areas expose themselves to more domestic violence? The significance of the answer to this question based on a scientific study rather than anecdotes looms large as the society moves forward to tackle the menace of domestic violence by making informed policy choices. Using a random sample of 800 married females, a survey was conducted to study the type, frequency, and severity of violence against married women in the two districts of Punjab (Faisalabad Narowal), Pakistan. Specifically explored in this study are the relationships between spousal (wife) abuse and the following variables: (1) wife s and husband s current age and age at marriage, the extent to which the wife or husband s current age and age at marriage mitigates the occurrences and severity of abuse, and (2) place of residence; differences between urban and rural living arrangements as a factor in the abusive relationship. The dependent variable is spousal abuse and independent variables are current age and age at marriage of wife/husband, and rural/urban residence. Of all the respondents, 17.5 percent reported a lifetime experience of a high incidence of physical violence from a current husband; 40.9 percent reported a medium and 41.6 percent reported low physical violence from a current husband. Overall, the findings from the current study suggest no significant associations between current age and age at marriage and domestic violence. To identify the likely causal relationships between domestic violence and demographic risk factors, the study highlights the need to expand the scope of this investigation.