Married Women’s Attitude toward Intimate Partner Violence Is Influenced by Exposure to Media: A Population-Based Spatial Study in Bangladesh

Abstract

This study estimated the attitudes of women toward accepting IPV at district level in Bangladesh and examined its relationship with sociodemographic predictors including exposure to media (e.g., newspaper, radio and television) using the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey-2019 with a sample of 63,689 women. Around 25.6% women accepted IPV that geographically varied from 1.78% (Pirojpur) to 57.14% (Kurigram). Women regularly exposed to media were 17% less likely to accept IPV. Attitude toward accepting IPV was found to be higher among the illiterate women in disadvantaged circumstances, patriotically from poorer households living in remote areas, which suggest that planned interventions are needed for this vulnerable group of women to improve their living status by providing access to education and media. Further research is necessary to assess the impact of women’s empowerment on their attitude toward acceptance of IPV.