Polygyny and Women’s Justification of Intimate Partner Violence in India: Evidence from NFHS-5

Abstract

Intimate partner violence is a major public health concern worldwide. Several studies have attempted to identify its underlying determinants. From a socio-cultural perspective, polygyny—defined as the practice in which a man has multiple wives —is considered a key determinant of IPV. This study examines the association between polygyny and women’s justification of IPV in India. Using data from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS‑5), and binary logistic regression models to estimate crude and adjusted odds ratios with corresponding 95 per cent confidence intervals. The results showed that women in polygynous unions had higher odds (AOR: 1.035; 95% CI: 0.910–1.177) of justifying IPV compared with women in monogamous unions. However, the association was not statistically significant after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics. In addition, women residing in rural areas, with lower educational attainment, belonging to poorer wealth quintiles, identifying as Muslim, residing in the southern region and having limited media exposure were more likely to justify IPV. The findings suggest that polygyny is not independently associated with attitudes justifying IPV once socio‑demographic factors are considered. Rather, socio‑economic and demographic characteristics appear to play a more substantial role in shaping women’s acceptance of IPV. Therefore, interventions aimed at reducing the acceptance of IPV should prioritize improving educational opportunities, improving women's socio-economic status, increasing access to information through media and promoting gender-equitable norms among the sexes.